Comandra umbellata
| Comandra umbellata | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-6.5 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Comandra umbellata (common name: bastard toad flax)
Propagation: Seed - stratify for 3 months at 5°c and then sow in the greenhouse in a pot with a suitable host. Plant out when it is well established close to a mature host plant[1].
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.
Requires a well-drained moisture retentive lime-free soil[1].
A parasitic plant obtaining at least some of its nutrients from the roots of other plants[1][2]. It is said to parasitize over 200 different species of plants in the wild[3].
Range: Eastern N. America - Michigan to Alabama.
Habitat: Dry to moist sandy well-drained soils, especially those that are acid, from sea level to the sub-alpine zone[4][5].
Edibility: Fruit - raw[5][6]. A sweet flavour[7].
The flowers are sucked by children for their sweet nectar[8].
Medicinal: An infusion of the leaves has been used to treat lung pains and laboured breathing caused by a cold or other illness[8]. The juice of the plant has been applied externally to treat cuts and sores[8].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Britton, Nathaniel and Addison Brown. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1970.
- ↑ Diggs, George and Barney Lipscomb. Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute, 1999.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 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.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.