Echinocystis lobata
| Echinocystis lobata | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 26' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Echinocystis lobata (common name: wild cucumber)
Propagation: Seed - sow early spring in a rich compost in a greenhouse, placing 2 - 3 seeds in each pot. The seed usually germinates within 1 - 2 weeks at 20°c. Thin the seedlings to the best plant in each pot, grow them on fast and plant them out after the last expected frosts[1]. Give the plants some protection, such as a cloche, until they are growing away well.
Cultivation: Prefers a sunny position in a well-drained rich soil with abundant moisture[2][1]. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1].
A climbing plant, supporting itself by means of tendrils[3].
Range: Eastern N. America - Saskatchewan and southwards.
Habitat: Rich soils by streams[4]. Thickets[5].
Medicinal: The pulverized root is used as a poultice for headaches[6][5].
A very bitter tea brewed from the roots is analgesic and is also used as a love potion[6][7][5]. It is used as a bitter tonic for alleviating stomach troubles, kidney ailments, rheumatism, chills, fevers etc[6][5][8].
Usage: The seeds have been used as beads[8].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Late Spring-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Monoecious
Also Known As: Sicyos lobata.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bird, Alfred. Focus on Plants Volume 5. Thompson and Morgan, 1991.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.