Blue berries of a special brilliance, hardly approached by those of any other hardy plant, make the sapphire berry particularly well named. This display is at its best in many sections of the country in September, although it may start somewhat earlier in the southern states. The effect of a well-grown specimen, with its branchlets arching under the weight of the dark turquoise berries is so impressive that one wonders why they are rarely seen.
Its botanical name is Symplocos paniculata, and it has a large cousinage among tropical and subtropical plants. This group, which is distinguished by leaves that are often sweet to the taste, is known as the sweetleaf family. Sapphire berry hails from China and Japan and is often referred to as Asiatic sweetleaf.
The only member of the sweetleaf family native of this country is horse-sugar, a shrub or small tree which grows wild front Delaware southward to Louisiana. Its thick leaves are so much relished by grazing animals that one way to identify the horse-sugar in some areas is to note how consistently it is browsed. This American species has brownish berries of no particular ornamental value and in general offers little inducement to gardeners. It is rarely cultivated and has not proven adaptable or hardy beyond the general limits of its natural distribution.
It is a different story with the Asiatic species. Sapphire berries develop into substantial plants of interesting form. They have one or more upright trunks and sturdy branches making spreading bushes 10 to 12 feet high or in some conditions small trees of much greater stature. They can be treated either as shrubs or small trees. depending upon the number of trunks that develop or the way young plants are pro I . In order to view the berries fully, it is generally best to prune hack the leaders so that a dense and bushy framework of branches is produced.
The leaves vary in length front 1 to 3 1/2 inches. Their outline is generally obovate, with a wedge-shaped base tapering into a short, thickish petiole. They are arranged alternately along the stem and increase gradually in size from the base to the tip of the vegetative shoots. The leaves fall in October or November without any eye-catching display of color. But, with the lovely blue fruits still vividly in mind, one must he willing to let the shrub rest on its laurels.
The flowers are white and pleasantly fragrant, making a fine display in late spring. They have a delicate brush of stamens at the center which is almost as showy as the petals. While the individual flowers are Iess than half an inch across, they are set forth so abundantly in panicles at the tips of the side shoots that the effect is showy and pleasing.
During early summer the slightly elongated berrylike fruits develop until they are about 3/8 inch in length. By mid-season, when they are mature, their modest green changes to the brilliant blue which never fails to draw admiration. Unless taken by birds or flower-arrangement enthusiasts scouring the garden for material for autumn shows, the blue berries last five or six weeks without losing their color.
Long-time Residents
Sapphire berries have been residents of this country just over 125 years. It was in 1875, near the end of his work in the Imperial Customs, that Thomas Hogg, of a well known New York horticultural family, sent them to America from Japan. E. H. Wilson, who was always a great admirer of the plant, felt that its hardiness and beauty entitled it to much more general use in our gardens. He wrote of seeing sapphire berries in China around Ichang and in the tributary valleys he explored along the Yangtze.
Temperatures considerably below zero do not damage sapphire berries, which are certainly easy to grow. The plant is generally available from nurseries, and buying a few well-developed plants is better than trying to raise them from seed. The seeds usually remain dormant a year before germinating, and both cuttings and layers are slow to develop at first.
Cultural Requirements
Sapphire berries thrive in almost any well-drained soil; no special preparation is required in most cases. The use of compost, humus or well-decomposed manure will assist young plants to be. come established. Work these conditioners into the bottom of the hole to encourage the roots to grow deeply. Ample drainage and abundant sunshine are more important considerations than it particular type of soil. With some exceptions, the most effective plants of this Asiatic shrub are those growing on sloping ground where good drainage is insured. It seems very well adapted to terraces and hillsides. Too much coddling and excessive moisture may be reasons why some plants in gardens do not fruit well; the shrub almost never fruits in the more humid climate of England.
One hears the complaint that the fruit is not given an opportunity to attract attention because birds take it as soon as the berries turn blue.
by B Blackburn – 62921
