Cyperus longus
| Cyperus longus | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 4' |
| Width: | 7' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Early Fall |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Cyperus longus (common name: galingale)
Propagation: Seed - surface sow in the spring and keep the compost moist[1]. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 6 weeks at 18°c[1]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. Grow on for their first winter in a greenhouse and plant them out in late spring after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring or autumn. Division is simple at almost any time of the year, so long as the roots are not allowed to become dry. Plant them out straight into their permanent positions.
Cultivation: Prefers a moist sandy loam[2][3]. Succeeds in any good garden soil so long as it does not dry out[4], it also grows well in up to 30cm of water[5].
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[5].
A very ornamental plant[6], though it can spread freely at the roots when well-suited[7].
Galingale was one of the favourite spices of the medieval kitchen and was an ingredient of 'pokerounce', a kind of medieval cinnamon toast[8]. It is rarely used at present. Both the root and the stem have a sweet moss-like perfume, resembling that of the violet but not so pure. The aroma becomes more fragrant with age[9].
Range: Britain and the Mediterranean region north to Lake Geneva.
Habitat: By water in ditches and marshy places[10].
Edibility: Tuber - used as a spice in soups, pies and sweets[11][8].
Medicinal: The root is an aromatic tonic[12]. It was at one time considered to be a good stomachic and useful in the first stages of dropsy, but it has now fallen into disuse[12][13].
Usage: The leaves are used in basketry and for weaving hats, matting etc[14].
The root and stem have the scent of violets and are used in perfumery[12][15][16][9]. The aroma becomes more pronounced when the root has been dried and left to age[9].
A fibre obtained from the plant is used in paper making[14].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Bird, Alfred. Growing from Seed Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan, 1990.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ Rosengarten Jr., Frederic. The Book of Edible Nuts. Dover, 1984.
- ↑ Grounds, Roger. Ornamental Grasses. Christopher Helm, 1989.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 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.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.