Description
Nandina – Sacred Bamboo – Heavenly Bamboo –
There is a single species of a small evergreen or semi evergreen shrub in this genus. It occur from mountain valleys in India, China, and Japan. It produces alternate, pinnate leaves. It is grown for its sprays of white flowers, red fruit, and elegant foliage. Both male and female plants are needed to produce fruit but there are some hermaphroditic cultivars now available. Grow in a shrub border, use low growing cultivars as a groundcover.
Grow in a sheltered site in moist but well drained soil, preferably in full sun or some shade.
Prone to leaf spot, root rot, Verticillim wilt, and viruses causing reddish coloration, and distortions are common.
N. domestica – This evergreen or semi evergreen shrub found from India to Japan grows 6-7′ feet tall and 5′ feet wide. From upright, cane like shoots it carries pinnate to 3 pinnate leaves, to 36″ long, with 1″ elliptical shaped leaflets, red to reddish purple when young and in winter. In mid summer it bears conical panicles, to 16″ long, of small, star shaped, creamy white flowers, to ½” across, with large yellow anthers, followed by long lasting, spherical bright red fruit, 3/8″ across.
Zones 6-11
