Arisaema tortuosum
| Arisaema tortuosum | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Cross Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Arisaema tortuosum
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[1][2]. 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[3][2].
Plants are not very hardy outdoors in Britain and are normally best if given protection[3]. However, they can succeed outdoors in the milder areas of the country if the tubers are planted about 20cm deep[2]. Plants require protection from slugs[2].
Most species in this genus are dioecious, but they are sometimes monoecious and can also change sex from year to year. This species usually bears either monoecious or all male flowers[4].
Range: E. Asia - Himalayas from Simla to Sikkim and Bhutan.
Habitat: Forests, shrubberies and open slopes to 3000 metres[5]. Moist shady places at elevations of 1500 - 2200 metres in Nepal[6].
Edibility: Tuber - it must be thoroughly dried or cooked before being eaten[5][7]. The tubers are boiled and eaten in Nepal, mixed with lime juice (Citrus aurantifolia) or another sour substance[6]. The tubers are buried in masses in pits until acetous fermentation takes place, they are then dug up, washed and cooked, by which means their acrimonious principles are in part dispersed[8]. However, violent illness has still been known to follow a hearty meal of the tubers[8]. See also the notes above on toxicity.
Medicinal: The roots have been used as a vermifuge in cattle[9][10]. The juice of the tubers is applied to the wounds of cattle in order to kill any parasites[6]. The dried powdered tubers is applied to snake bites[6].
The seeds have been mixed with salt and used to treat colic in sheep[9][10][6].
Usage: The tubers have insecicidal properties[6].
Pollinators: Flies
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Monoecious
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
Also Known As: A. curvatum. (Roxb.)Kunth. Arum tortuosum.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Polunin, Oleg and Adam Stainton. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press, 1984.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Manandhar, N. Medicinal Plants of Nepal Himalaya. Department of Medicinal Plants, 1993.