|
|
|
Dichroa
febrifuga is from China and southeast
Asia, and, in its native habitat, flowers
between June and October. With me, it flowers
between November and February. This photo was
taken on Christmas day.
|
|
It
is supposed to have beautiful blue berries,
but not, so far, for me.
When I was
given it, I was told it was a hydrangea, to
which family it belongs, but in a different
genus, dichroa. It is commonly known as blue
evergreen hydrangea. It was 3 years before it
flowered.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| It is
not supposed to be hardy, but I have had it 10 years
now. It survived the bad winters, but not unscathed,
being reduced to a single stem after the winter of 2010. |
| Dichroa
is one of the 50 essential herbal plants in traditional
Chinese medicine, being used as a febrifuge (to chase
off fevers), hence its name, and also to treat malaria.
It was used as a substitute for quinine during the
second world war, and is also known as 'Chinese
quinine'. It is an ancient herbal remedy, but a drug
derived from it, halofuginone, is currently under
investigation and showing promise in treating autoimmune
disease - and maybe having an anti-ageing potential
! (New
Scientist February 2012 2852:18) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
