Claytonia sibirica
| Claytonia sibirica | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 0.5' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Claytonia sibirica (common name: pink purslane)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ. The seed usually germinates rapidly.
Cultivation: A very tolerant and easily grown plant, it prefers a moist peaty soil[1] and is unhappy in dry situations[K]. It succeeds in full sun[2] though is happier when given some shade and also grows in the dense shade of beech trees[3].
Plants usually self-sow freely[2][K].
This is an excellent and trouble-free salad plant. It is extremely cold-hardy and can provide edible leaves all year round in all areas of the country even if it is not given protection[K].
Range: E. Asia - Siberia. Naturalized in Britain.
Habitat: Damp woods, shaded streamsides etc, especially on sandy acid soils[4][5].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[6][7][8]. They usually have a fairly bland flavour and are quite nice in a salad or cooked as a green vegetable. The leaves have a distinct earthy after-taste rather like raw beetroot[K]. They are available all year round but can turn rather bitter in the summer, especially if the plant is growing in a hot dry position[K]. Although on the small side, the leaves are produced in abundance and are very easily harvested[K].
Medicinal: The plant is diuretic[9].
A poultice of the chewed leaves has been applied to cuts and sores[9].
The juice of the plant has been used as eye drops for sore red eyes[9].
A cold infusion of the stems has been used as an antidandruff wash for the hair[9].
Usage: A good ground cover plant for a shady position[10]. This species is a short-lived perennial but it usually self-sows freely and gives a dense weed-excluding ground cover[K].
Pollinators: Bees, flies
Notes: Grow it in the edible flower garden, or the bed by the road, and it will eventually find its own way into the woodland garden.
We can supply in the spring.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Claytonia alsinoides. C. sibirica.
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ RHS. The Garden Volume 112. Royal Horticultural Society, 1987.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.