Claytonia umbellata
| Claytonia umbellata | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-6.5 |
| Height: | 0.5' |
| Blooms: | Early Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Claytonia umbellata (common name: great basin spring beauty)
Propagation: Seed - surface sow on a peat based compost in spring in a cold frame. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 4 weeks at 10°c[1]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts.
Division of offsets in spring or autumn.
Cultivation: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Prefers a damp peaty soil and a position in full sun[2][1]. Requires a lime-free soil[1].
Range: Western N. America.
Habitat: Exposed slopes, 1500 - 3400 metres in California[3].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[4].
Flowers - raw[4].
Roots - cooked[5]. The native North Americans roasted them in sand before eating them[5].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Spring
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.