Ardisia crenata is one of the longest-lasting berry-producing plants you can grow. The berries turn red in late fall and hang on the plant until mid-summer. The color remains vivid red as long as the berries remain on the bush. Birds and other wildlife feed on them through the winter.
Flowers appear in mid-summer while the berries are still showing their color. Blooms appear in clusters on the ends of short stalks that extend just to the edge of the foliage.
Leaves are a dark, shiny green with a crinkled edge. The foliage itself is quite attractive, and small plants are often sold as houseplants. The shrub is evergreen and usually stays within a two to four-foot height range.
They are rather slow-growing so although many of the dropped berries will sprout, it takes the seedlings a long time to reach maturity. In some parts of Florida and Texas, it has escaped cultivation and become a pest plant.
Ardisia crenata is native to an area from Japan to northern India. It is recommended for USDA Zones 8-10. It prefers moist, shady conditions, but established plants are very drought-tolerant. In the coldest part of its range, severe freezes can cause die-back to ground level.
This species is usually just referred to as Ardisia, but it is also sometimes known as
coralberry, coral ardisia, spiceberry, or Christmas berry.
3 comments:
Bardziej mi się nawet podobają te czerwone "koraliki" na krzewie niż kwiatki. Pozdrawiam
Hi Jim, i was gifted with Ardisia 2 yrs ago, i just left it near my office east glass window, pinch often the side shoots and left just the main crown. Yes the fruits stayed for a long time, and was able to germinate 3 plants. However, i wonder why the main plant doesn't flower at all since then. I thought it maybe needs cold temps for flowering. That one given to me can be from the cold highlands and brought to the city (lowlands) with high temperatures, when the plant is already having the red berries, sold as money tree for attraction. I wonder what i have to do with mine to induce it to flower and fruit.
Andrea, I think your plant needs a vacation outside. How much energy would you have if you didn't leave your office for two years?!
Have you been getting new growth? That's the first thing you need to look for. Move it to your garden for a few months and I think you'll have success!
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