Coronilla varia
| Coronilla varia | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer Shelter | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Coronilla varia (common name: crown vetch)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in situ as soon as it is ripe. The seed usually germinates in the autumn. Stored seed can be pre-soaked for 12 hours in warm water and then sown in situ in April[1].
Cuttings of half-ripe shoots with a heel, June/July in a frame. Can also be taken in spring[1].
Division in March[1]. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer or following spring.
Cultivation: Prefers an open well-drained calcareous soil in a sunny position[2][3][1]. Tolerates poor soils[4]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.8 to 7.2.
A food plant for the caterpillars of many lepidoptera species[5].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[4].
Range: Europe. Naturalized in Britain[6].
Habitat: Dry grassy places, railway embankments, roadsides etc[7].
Medicinal: The whole plant, used either fresh or dried is a cardiotonic[7][3]. It should be used with extreme caution, see the notes above on toxicity[7]. A decoction of the bark has been used as an emetic[8].
The crushed plant has been rubbed on rheumatic joints and cramps[8].
Usage: Can be used as an insecticide[9]. No more details are given.
A good ground cover and soil stabilizer for sunny banks and slopes[4][10]. It grows rampantly and should not be grown with plants less than 1.8 metres tall[10].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Late Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The whole plant contains a toxic glycoside called coronillin[7][3][11][12]. It is one of the most toxic plants growing in Britain[7].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Sanders, Thomas. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge, 1926.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Carter, David. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan, 1982.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Brooker, Stanley. Economic Native Plants of New Zealand. Oxford University Press, 1991.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ Stary, Frantisek. Poisonous Plants. Hamlyn, 1983.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.