Achillea ptarmica
| Achillea ptarmica | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Fall |
| Meadows | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
Achillea ptarmica (common name: sneeze-wort)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or early autumn in a cold frame[1]. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 months[1]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, the divisions can be planted direct into their permanent positions.
Basal cuttings of new shoots in spring. Very easy, collect the shoots when they are about 10cm tall, potting them up individually in pots and keeping them in a warm but lightly shaded position. They should root within 3 weeks and will be ready to plant out in the summer.
Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils but prefers a moist well-drained soil in a sunny position[2][3]. Plants also succeed in partial shade[3]. Plants succeed in maritime gardens[4]. They live longer when growing in a poor soil[5]. The plant has a spreading root system and can be very invasive[4].
Hardy to at least -25°c[3].
There are some named varieties, selected for their ornamental value[4].
Hybridizes freely with other members of this genus[5].
Range: Europe, including Britain but excluding the Mediterranean, east to Siberia and W. Asia.
Habitat: Damp meadows, marshes and by streams[6].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[6][7][8]. Used as a flavouring in salads[9].
Medicinal: Cardiac, diaphoretic, digestive, emmenagogue, odontalgic, sternutatory, styptic[10][9].
The leaf is chewed to relieve toothache[11].
Usage: The dried, powdered leaves are used as a sneezing powder[12][13].
Yields an essential oil that is used medicinally[13]. The report does not say what part of the plant the oil is obtained from, it is most likely to be the leaves harvested just before flowering[K].
The leaves are used as an insect repellent[9].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, self
Notes: We could supply this in the next catalogue.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan, 1987.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.