Botrychium lunaria
| Botrychium lunaria | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 0.3' |
| Meadows | |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Botrychium lunaria (common name: common moonwort)
Propagation: Spores - best surface sown as soon as they are ripe in a greenhouse and do not allow the compost to dry out. Placing the pot in a plastic bag helps to maintain a humid atmosphere which promotes germination and growth. Prick out small clumps into pots when they are large enough to handle and keep moist until established. Grow on in a greenhouse for at least the first winter and plant out in late spring.
Division. It is best not to try and disturb this plant[1].
Cultivation: Prefers a moist free-draining soil[2].
The prothalli (small plants formed when the spores germinate) of this species form a symbiotic relationship with a mycorrhizal fungus in much the same way as orchid seedlings[1].
Plants can be hard to establish, they can be naturalized in a meadow or cultivated in the border where they should be left undisturbed[1].
Unlike most species of ferns, the fronds of this species grow up straight and not curled inward, crozier fashion[3].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[4].
Range: Widely distributed in arctic and temperate zones of Europe, Asia and Australasia.
Habitat: Dry grassland and rock ledges[5], usually on peaty soils[3].
Medicinal: Moonwort has a long reputation as a vulnerary herb, the leaves are used externally as an ointment or taken internally[3][6]. They are also used in the treatment of ruptures and dysentery[6].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Late Summer
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.