Actaea spicata
| Actaea spicata | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Actaea spicata (common name: herb christopher)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame or outdoors in a moist shaded seedbed[1]. The seed has a limited viability[1], it can also be sown in spring in a cold frame but germination rates may be poor. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer of the following year.
Division in March or October.
Cultivation: Succeeds in most conditions[2], but prefers a humus-rich moist soil in light shade doing well amongst shrubs and in light woods[3][1].
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[4].
Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, through temperate and arctic Asia to China.
Habitat: Ash woods on limestone and in damp stony woods to 1500 metres[5][6].
Medicinal: The root is antispasmodic, cytostatic, emetic, nervine and purgative[7][6][8][9]. In Canada the root is used in the treatment of snakebite[10]. It is also considered useful in the treatment of nervous disorders and rheumatic fever[10]. In India it is used in the treatment of rheumatism, goitre and asthma[9]. This remedy should be used with some caution, see the notes above on toxicity.
Usage: The smell of the plant is reputed to drive away vermin[7].
A black dye is obtained from the berries when alum is used as a mordant[7][5][11][12]. The seeds contain tannin[9].
Pollinators: Beetles, flies
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All parts of plant are poisonous but rarely fatal[7][13][5][14][8][15].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Coventry, B. Wild Flowers of Kashmir. Raithby, Lawrence and Co, 1923.
- ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Altmann, Horst. Poisonous Plants and Animals. Chatto and Windus, 1980.
- ↑ Stary, Frantisek. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn, 1983.
- ↑ Cooper, Marion. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. The Stationery Office, 1984.