Balsamorhiza incana
| Balsamorhiza incana | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Balsamorhiza incana (common name: hoary balsamroot)
Propagation: Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 6 days at 18°c. Either sow the seed in individual pots or pot up the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer[1].
Division in spring. Very difficult since the plant strongly resents root disturbance[1]. It is probably best to take quite small divisions, or basal cuttings, without disturbing the main clump. Pot these up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in the greenhouse until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer if they have grown sufficiently, otherwise over-winter them in the greenhouse and plant out in late spring.
Cultivation: Requires a deep fertile well-drained loam in full sun[1][2]. Plants strongly resent winter wet[1][2].
Hardy to at least -25°c[2].
Plants are intolerant of root disturbance and should be planted into their permanent positions whilst still small[1].
Range: North-western N. America
Habitat: Meadows and other moderately moist to moderately dry open places[3].
Edibility: Root - raw or cooked[4][5][6]. The thick root can be eaten raw[7].
Seed - raw or cooked. It can be ground into a powder and made into a bread.
Medicinal: A decoction of the leaves, roots and stems has been used in the treatment of stomach pains and colds and as a steam bath for treating headaches[7].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: B. floccosa. B. hookeri incana.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Hitchcock, Leo. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1955.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.