The Himalayan may apple is quite easy to care for and is ideal as an ornamental plant in the garden. However, its medicinal use is more common.
The Himalayan Mayapple is also known as the Himalayan Footsole, as well as by its botanical name Podophyllum hexandrum. This plant belongs to the group of barberries, also known as the sour thorn family. Although this plant is very decorative, the Himalayan may apple is only occasionally found in gardens and parks as an ornamental plant. Rather, the medical application is often in the foreground. The following guide reveals everything hobby gardeners should know about this plant.
Home of the Himalayan Mayapple
The Himalayan may apple prefers altitudes between 2,000 and 3,500 meters. As the name suggests, this plant can be found in the Himalayan region, among other places. Whether in bush forests or on alpine pastures, this protected plant urgently needs humus-rich, acidic, fresh, as lime-free and permeable soil as possible in the following growing areas:
- Afghanistan
- India
- Cashmere
- Nepal
- Pakistan
- Bhutan
- Sikkim (State of India)
- China
- Taiwan
Description of the Himalayan may apple
| Himalayan may apple (Podophyllum hexandrum) | |
|---|---|
| Growth: | Upright leafy peduncles, clumpy |
| Growth: | 50 - 60 cm |
| Flowering: | May to June |
| Usage: | Ornamental plant, Medicinal plant |
| Location: | Penumbra |
| Floor: | fresh to moist, well drained, rich in humus |
This plant is a herbaceous plant that is characterized by a few branches. When growing, the Himalayan may apple reaches a maximum height of 50 to 60 centimetres. The lobed leaves, which shine in a bright shade of green, are striking. The large leaves of the plant are visually reminiscent of those of the maple. Red-brown spots can often appear on the foliage of this plant after flowering. Therefore estimatenumerous hobby gardeners also use the foliage for its ornamental value.
The growth width is 25 to 30 centimetres, so that a sufficient distance must be maintained when planting the plant. The shade plant usually has a single-flowered habit with flat, cupped, spread flowers.
Requirements for location
This plant can be used in perennial beds as well as in open spaces. If group planting is planned, up to ten specimens of the Himalayan may apple fit in an area of just one square meter. The good frost hardiness also makes the plant interesting for local gardens. Hanging sedge and ostrich saffron are among the planting partners with which the Himalayan may apple harmonises particularly well. If the necessary environmental conditions prevail, the Himalayan may apple requires little care from the hobby gardener. The plant can be propagated by its seeds or by dividing its shoots, the so-called rhizomes.
Flower and fruits
The Himalayan may apple is in bloom from May to June, when the flowers, which are less than five centimeters in size, make the plant particularly decorative. The flowers are pink on the outside and white on the inside. Between July and August, the five-centimetre-long fruits of the plant, which are adorned with an orange-red colour, ripen. Although the May apple does produce fruit that is not poisonous when ripe, it is not a particularly tasty fruit and is therefore not edible.
Caution, poisonous!
The growth of the plant is rather slow and the Himalayan may apple is associated with a phototoxic effect. This is supposed to mean that there are interactions between the active ingredients in the Himalayan may apple and sunlight. If the sap from the plant gets on the skin and the skin comes into contact with sunlight, skin changes are to be expected. Not only the leaves are considered poisonous, but also the sprouts. This may be another reason why the mountain plant is a rarity in local gardens.
Tips for planting and care
Planting
Before planting, it is important to moisten the Himalayan may apples well. Each plant should be placed at ground level in a sufficiently large planting hole before the hobby gardener presses down the surrounding soil by hand. Thorough and penetrating watering is just as important so that the Himalayan may apple can grow well and thrive.
Care
To maintain theMountain plants, it makes sense to divide them every two to three years. In this course, weakening shoots and roots are to be removed. Because that strengthens the flowering power of the plant. It is advisable to wear gloves both when planting and when caring for the Himalayan may apple in order to effectively protect yourself from the poisonous effects of the plant.
Diseases and pests are not usually a problem with this plant. This explains why the plant is so easy to care for in semi-shade and sunny locations and requires little work.
Proliferate
If the Himalayan may apple is to be propagated, it is advisable to divide a particularly large specimen in early autumn. As for sowing, all home gardeners should know that the plant takes a long time to germinate and the seedlings are then characterized by slow growth.
Himalayan may apple as a medicinal plant
In addition to the occasional use as an ornamental plant, especially in the shade garden, the poisonous plant, which tolerates cold very well but does not like drought, is primarily used for medicinal purposes. A resin called podophyllin can be obtained from the rhizome of the mountain plant. This compound is in turn used to extract a neurotoxin called podophyllotoxin from it.
In the past, this active ingredient was mainly used as an emetic and laxative. The active ingredient from the Himalayan may apple was also used to treat wounds that were already infected. In addition, this drug is said to inhibit tumor growth. Further studies have shown that the active ingredient in the Himalayan may apple has proven to be an effective insecticide in the fight against fruit flies. Another animal experiment with mice produced equally astonishing results. In this study, the Himalayan may apple extract was shown to be effective against the effects of gamma-ray exposure on the cells of the mice.