Cymbalaria muralis
| Cymbalaria muralis | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 0.3' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Cymbalaria muralis (common name: kenilworth ivy)
Propagation: Seed - surface sow March to June in a cold frame and do not exclude light. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 18°c[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
Division in late spring. 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 moderately good soil and some shade[2].
Plants usually self-sow freely[3] and can be invasive, especially when grown on old walls[4]. They succeed both on dry-stone walls and on old mortared walls[5].
Range: S. Europe. Naturalized in Britain.
Habitat: Walls and other well-drained sites, shady rocks and woods, usually on calcareous soils[6][7].
Edibility: Leaves - raw[8][9][10]. The leaves have been used in salads, being acrid and pungent like cress[8]. We find them rather bitter and not very pleasant, though they are available all year round and so might be useful in the winter[K]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Medicinal: The herb is antiscorbutic and vulnerary[8][11]. It is used externally as a poultice on fresh wounds to stop the bleeding[11]. There are reports that it has been used with success in India for the treatment of diabetes[8][12].
Usage: A clear yellow dye is obtained from the flowers, though it is not very permanent[8][9].
Pollinators: Bees, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The plant might be slightly toxic[13]
Also Known As: Linaria cymbalaria.
Links
References
- ↑ Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sowerby, John. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 1862.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Cooper, Marion. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. The Stationery Office, 1984.