Alisma plantago-aquatica

From Permawiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Alisma plantago-aquatica
Light:Full Sun
Moisture:Hydric
Hardiness:6
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Height:3'
Width:1'
Blooms:Early Summer-Late Summer
Native to:
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating:PFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Alisma plantago-aquatica (common name: great water plantain)

Propagation: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe. Place the pot in about 3cm of water to keep the soil wet. Pot up the seedlings when large enough to handle and keep in the cold frame for the first winter, planting out in late spring.

Division in spring or autumn. Fairly easy, the divisions can be planted straight out into their permanent positions.

Cultivation: Succeeds in a sunny position in boggy ground or shallow water up to 25cm deep[1].

Plants often self-sow aggressively when in a suitable position[2][3].

The subspecies A. plantago-maritima orientale. Sam. is the form used medicinally in China[4].

The subspecies A. plantago-maritima parviflorum (Syn A. parviflorum, A. subcordatum) is the form used medicinally in America[5].

Plants are very attractive to slugs[K].

Range: Northern temperate regions of Europe, including Britain, Asia and America.

Habitat: Ditches, damp ground and shallow pond margins in water up to 15cm deep[6][7][8].

Edibility: Root - cooked[6][9][10][11]. Rich in starch[12]. Caution is advised, the root is acrid if it is not dried or well cooked before use[13][14].

Leaves and petioles - must be thoroughly cooked. They require long boiling and have a salty flavour[15][16].

Medicinal: The leaves are antibacterial, anticholesterolemic, diaphoretic, diuretic, hypoglycaemic and hypotensive[17][18][4]. They are used in the treatment of cystitis, dysentery, renal calculus, gravel etc[17]. The fresh leaf is rubefacient[5]. It is used in the treatment of leprosy[19] and is also applied locally to bruises and swellings[17].

Dried stem bases eaten, or grated and taken with water in treating digestive disorders such as heartburn, cramps and stomach flu[20].

The powdered seed is an astringent, used in cases of bleeding[17]. The seed is also said to promote sterility[19].

The root has a wide range of medicinal uses[4][19]. It is antibacterial, anticholesterolemic, diuretic and hypotensive[4]. It is said to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels[21] whilst it also has an antibacterial action on Staphylococcus, Pneumococci and Mycobacterium[4]. The root is used in the treatment of oliguria, oedema, nephritis, acute diarrhoea, cholesterolaemia and fatty liver[4]. It has been thought of as a cure for rabies, though this has not been substantiated[17]. The whole plant is believed to promote conception[19]. The root is harvested before the plant comes into flower and is dried for later use[21].

A homeopathic remedy is obtained from the fresh root[17].

Pollinators: Flies

Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.

Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Known Hazards: The fresh leaves and roots are toxic but the toxic principal is destroyed by heat or by drying[6][9].

Also Known As: A. parviflorum. A. subcordatum. A. triviale. Pursh.

Links

References

  1. ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  2. ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
  3. ↑ Muhlberg, Helmut. Complete Guide to Water Plants. Sterling Publishing, 1982.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
  7. ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
  8. ↑ Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
  10. ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
  11. ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
  12. ↑ Chakravarty, Hiralal. The Plant Wealth of Iraq. 1976.
  13. ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
  14. ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
  15. ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
  16. ↑ Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
  18. ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
  20. ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.


Retrieved from "https://old.permawiki.org/w/index.php?title=Alisma_plantago-aquatica&oldid=29959"