Succeeds in any reasonably good soil, preferring a good fertile well-drained loamy soil. Succeeds on dry gravels and on sandy soils. The trees have deep spreading roots and are very drought resistant once established. This species requires mild winters if it is to succeed. Trees prefer hotter summers and more sunlight than are normally experienced in Britain, they often do not fully ripen their wood when growing in this country and they are then very subject to die-back in winter. A hardier form, from seed collected in the Caucasus, is in cultivation in Britain. The fruit and the seed are sometimes sold in local markets in the Balkans. This plant is said to be the lotus fruit of the ancients. It is mentioned in the story of Odysseus returning from Troy and the story relates that if a person should eat the fruit they will never leave that area. Coppices well. A good shade tree. Trees can be very long-lived, perhaps to 1000 years. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.

Fruit - raw. A mealy pleasant taste. Small and insipidly sweet. Of little value. The fruit is about 10mm in diameter with a single large seed. Seed - raw or cooked. An oil is obtained from the seed.

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stored seed is best given 2 - 3 months cold stratification and then sown February/March in a greenhouse. Germination rates are usually good, though the stored seed might take 12 months or more to germinate. The seed can be stored for up to 5 years. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots. The leaves of seedlings often have a lot of white patches without chlorophyll, this is normal and older plants produce normal green leaves. Grow the seedlings on in a cold frame for their first winter, and plant them out in the following late spring or early summer. Give them some protection from the cold for their first winter outdoors. Cuttings

Hedges, banks and sandy places.