Cardiospermum halicacabum
| Cardiospermum halicacabum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 10' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Cardiospermum halicacabum (common name: heart seed)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Germination usually takes place within 3 - 4 weeks at 20°c[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cultivation: Prefers a moist soil and a sunny sheltered position[1], but succeeds in most soils[2].
A frost-tender deciduous climber, it is grown as an annual in Britain[3].
Range: E. Asia - India. N. America. Africa. Locally naturalized in S. Europe[4].
Habitat: Moist thickets and waste ground in Eastern N. America[5].
Edibility: Leaves and young shoots - cooked[2][6][7][8]. Used as a spinach[9].
Medicinal: The whole plant is diaphoretic, diuretic, emetic, emmenagogue, laxative, refrigerant, rubefacient, stomachic, and sudorific.[10] It is used in the treatment of rheumatism, nervous diseases, stiffness of the limbs and snakebite[11][12].
The leaves are rubefacient, they are applied as a poultice in the treatment of rheumatism[11][12]. A tea made from them is used in the treatment of itchy skin[10]. Salted leaves are used as a poultice on swellings[10].The leaf juice has been used as a treatment for earache[11][12].
The root is diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, laxative and rubefacient[11]. It is occasionally used in the treatment of rheumatism, lumbago and nervous diseases[11].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bird, R. Growing from Seed Volume 3. Thompson and Morgan, 1989.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Manandhar, N. Medicinal Plants of Nepal Himalaya. Department of Medicinal Plants, 1993.