Cruciata laevipes
| Cruciata laevipes | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Cruciata laevipes (common name: crosswort)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in situ as soon as it is ripe in late summer[1]. The seed can also be sown in spring though it may be very slow to germinate[1].
Division in spring or throughout the growing season if the plants are kept well watered[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 spring.
Cultivation: Prefers a loose moist leafy soil in some shade[1]. Tolerates dry soils but the leaves quickly become scorched when growing in full sun[1]. This species does not thrive in a hot climate[1].
The flowers have a sweet powerful perfume[2].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from the Netherlands to Poland, south to S. Europe, W. Asia and Siberia.
Habitat: Open woodland, scrub, hedges, waysides and pastures, especially on calcareous soils[3].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[4].
Medicinal: The herb is astringent, diuretic and vulnerary[5]. It is not much used nowadays, but was considered a very good wound herb for both external and internal use[5]. A decoction of the leaves has also been used to treat obstructions of the stomach and bowels, to stimulate the appetite and as a remedy for rheumatism, rupture and dropsy[5].
A number of species in this genus contain asperuloside, a substance that produces coumarin and gives the scent of new-mown hay as the plant dries[6]. Asperuloside can be converted into prostaglandins (hormone-like compounds that stimulate the uterus and affect blood vessels), making the genus of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry[6].
Usage: A red dye is obtained from the root[7][8].
Pollinators: Bees, flies
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Mid Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Galium cruciata.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.
- ↑ Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.