Arisaema dracontium
| Arisaema dracontium | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Arisaema dracontium (common name: green-dragon)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a cold frame[1]. Stored seed remains viable for at least a year and can be sown in spring in the greenhouse but it will probably require a period of cold stratification. Germination usually takes place in 1 - 6 months at 15°c[1]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least a coupe of years until the corms are more than 20mm in diameter. Plant out into their permanent positions whilst they are dormant.
Division of tubers when the plant dies down in late summer.
Cultivation: Prefers a cool peaty soil in the bog garden, woodland garden or a sheltered border in semi-shade[2][1][3]. Prefers a loamy or peaty soil and will tolerate a sunny position if the soil is moist but not water-logged and the position is not too hot or exposed[4][3].
Tubers should be planted about 10cm deep[5]. Only plant out full sized tubers and mulch them with organic matter in the winter[3]. Plants need protection from slugs[3].
Most species in this genus are dioecious, but they are sometimes monoecious and can also change sex from year to year.
Range: Eastern N. America - Quebec to Florida, west to Wisconsin, Nebraska and Texas.
Habitat: Rich moist woods[6]. Found mainly in wet woods and along the sides of streams, but sometimes also in dry soils[7].
Edibility: Root. Considered to be edible once it has been dried, aged and elaborately processed[6]. The root contains calcium oxalate crystals - these are destroyed by drying the plant or by thorough cooking[K].
Medicinal: The dried and aged root was used by the N. American Indians in the treatment of 'female disorders'[6][8].
The plant (leaves?) were chewed in the treatment of asthma[9].
Pollinators: Flies
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Dioecious
Known Hazards: The plant contains calcium oxylate crystals. These cause an extremely unpleasant sensation similar to needles being stuck into the mouth and tongue if they are eaten but they are easily neutralized by thoroughly drying or cooking the plant or by steeping
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Bulbs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Weiner, Michael. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books, 1980.