Epilobium latifolium
| Epilobium latifolium | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Epilobium latifolium (common name: river beauty)
Propagation: Seed - sow early spring in situ or as soon as the seed is ripe.
Division in spring or autumn. 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 well-drained but moisture retentive soil in a sunny position[1]. Succeeds in most soils[2].
The roots are somewhat spreading and the plant can become invasive[3].
Range: N. Europe to Northern N. America.
Habitat: River gravels, margins of streams and damp slopes[4].
Edibility: Young shoots - cooked. Used like asparagus[5][6][7]. Very poor quality[8].
Young leaves - raw[7][9]. They become bitter with age[5]. A good source of vitamins A and C[10].
Flower stalks - raw or cooked. Eaten when the flowers are in bud[5].
The dried leaves are used as a tea substitute[5][11][9].
The core of mature stems is eaten raw. Slightly sweet, tender and pleasant tasting[5][7]. Very fiddly though[5].
Medicinal: The entire plant is used in Tibetan medicine, it is said to have a bitter taste and a cooling potency[12]. Analgesic, antidote, anti-inflammatory, antipruritic, antirheumatic and febrifuge, it is used in the treatment of fevers and inflammations, plus also itching pimples[12].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Chamaenerion latifolium. (L.)T.Fries.&Lance.
Links
References
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Tsarong, Tsewang. Tibetan Medicinal Plants. Tibetan Medical Publications, 1994.