On 28/08/2013 17:46, Malcolm wrote:

In article , Stewart Robert Hinsley
writes
On 28/08/2013 14:08, Malcolm wrote:

I've come across what amounts to a dense hedge of a shiny-leaved shrub
growing alongside a wall and ditch behind an old cottage in some
broad-leaved woodland here on Islay. The cottage is a former lodge to a
large house. The plant is robust, the stems are tough, and the average
height is 4-5 feet. The hedge runs for about 20 yards.

I've tried it on some local gardeners without success so have posted
some photographs and would be grateful for an ID.

www.indaal.demon.co.uk/shrub.htm

Thanks

Gaultheria shallon (Shallon or Salal). (I thought it was this from the
general appearance, and compared the fruits with images on the net for
confirmation.)

Yes, that's it. Thank you very much, Stewart.

There's a 15-year-old record of it in another wood on the island - one
in which there are quite a lot of introduced plants or escapes from a
nearby Victorian-age garden. The uses of the berries and plants are
extensive:

The nearest record in the BSBI database is on Colonsay; that's of a
similar or older vintage (1987-1999). [I thought it was commoner that it
is, so I looked it up.]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaultheria_shallon



--
Stewart Robert Hinsley