Digitalis lutea
| Digitalis lutea | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Digitalis lutea (common name: yellow foxglove)
Propagation: Seed - surface sow early spring in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 20°c[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, succeeding in ordinary garden soil, especially if it is rich in organic matter[2]. It also succeeds in dry soils and, once established, is drought tolerant[3][4]. It prefers semi-shade but succeeds in full sun if the soil is moist[3][5].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[6].
The yellow foxglove is a good companion plant, stimulating the growth of nearby plants[7]. Root crops grown near to this plant will store better[7].
Range: Europe.
Habitat: Woodlands, hedgerows and uncultivated fields on siliceous soils[8].
Medicinal: Yellow foxglove is little used in herbal medicine but is in fact a less toxic alternative to the purple and woolly foxgloves (D. purpurea and D. lanata) which are widely used in the treatment of heart complaints[9]. The yellow foxglove has similar medical actions, but its alkaloids are more readily metabolized and flushed out of the body[9].
The leaves are cardiac, strongly diuretic, stimulant and tonic[8][10][11][12]. They are used in the treatment of a weakened or failing heart, increasing the strength of contraction, slowing and steadying the heart rate and lowering blood pressure by strongly stimulating the flow of urine - which reduces overall blood volume[9]. The leaves of plants in their second year of growth are harvested in the summer and dried for later use[8]. This remedy should be used with caution and only under the supervision of a qualified practitioner, excessive doses can prove fatal[8][9]. See also the notes above on toxicity.
Usage: An infusion of the plant added to the water in the vase will prolong the life of cut flowers[7]. When grown near root crops the roots will store better[7].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: All parts of the plant are poisonous[8][13]. The plant is less dangerous that the common foxglove (D. purpurea) since its effects are not cumulative[8].
Links
References
- ↑ Bird, Alfred. Focus on Plants Volume 5. Thompson and Morgan, 1991.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Chatto, Beth. The Damp Garden. Dent, 1982.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.