Chinese Lantern, Flowering Maple

Medicinal Uses

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers | Edible Uses: Flowers - raw or cooked. A delicious sweet flavour, they are excellent on their own or as part of a mixed salad[K]. The flowers produce nectar all the time they are open so, assuming the plant is grown indoors and is not visited by pollinating insects, the sweetness increases the longer the flower is open[K].

Cultivation

Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Espalier, Rock garden, Specimen. Requires a sunny position or part day shade in a fertile well-drained soil[200]. Dislikes drought[200]. This species is only hardy in the mildest areas of Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -5°c when given the protection of a south or south-west facing wall[11, 200]. It is probably hardier than either of its parents[11]. Plants are often deciduous in cold winters[219]. A deep mulch in winter and tying in growth to the wall will maximise protection in winter[200]. If the plant is cut back by cold weather, it will normally resprout from the base in the spring and can flower on the current year's growth[202]. Plants grow very rapidly for their first few years and need staking if they are not in a sheltered position[11]. Plants tend to be short-lived in Britain, dying suddenly without any apparent cause. This is probably because they flower so profusely that they die of exhaustion[11]. Dead-heading plants to prevent seeding can enhance longevity[200]. Tip-prune young plants to promote a bushy habit, older plants can be cut back hard annually as new growth commences in late winter or early spring if required[200]. There are some named forms, selected for their ornamental value[11, 200]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200]. Special Features: Attractive foliage, Blooms appear periodically throughout the year, Blooms are very showy.

Known Hazards

None known

Habitats

Not known in the wild.