Epimedium grandiflorum
| Epimedium grandiflorum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Epimedium grandiflorum (common name: barrenwort)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in late summer[1]. Sow stored seed as early as possible in the year in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in light shade in the cold frame or greenhouse for at least their first winter[K]. Plant them out in mid to late summer[K].
Division in July/August according to one report, in late spring according to another[1]. 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.
Cuttings in late summer[1].
Cultivation: Succeeds in any fertile humus-rich soil[1], preferring a peaty loam[2]. Grows best in semi-shade[1]. Plants can succeed in the dry shed of trees[3].
Plants are hardy to about -20°c[4], though the flowers in spring can be damaged by late frosts[3].
A very ornamental plant[2], there are several named varieties[4]. It grows well in the rock garden or wild garden[2].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[3].
Range: E. Asia - Japan, Manchuria.
Habitat: Moist woods in the hills[4]. Calcareous rocks in moist woodland[5]. (This entry refers to sub-species E. grandiflorum higoense. Shimau.)
Edibility: Young plant and young leaves - cooked[6][7]. Soaked and then boiled[8]. (This suggests that the leaves are bitter and need to be soaked in order to remove the bitterness.)
Medicinal: The aerial parts of the plant are antiasthmatic, antibacterial, antirheumatic, antitussive, aphrodisiac, hypoglycaemic, tonic and vasodilator. Its use lowers blood sugar levels[9][10]. It is used in the treatment of impotence, seminal emissions, lumbago, arthritis, numbness and weakness of the limbs, hypertension and chronic bronchitis[10]. It has an action on the genitals similar to the male sex hormone and can increase the weight of the prostate gland and seminal vesicle, it has increased copulation in animals and increases the secretion of semens[10].
The leaves are used as an aphrodisiac[11]. Administered orally, the leaf extract increases the frequency of copulation in animals[11].
Usage: A good ground cover plant[1].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: E. macranthum. E. violaceum.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1986.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.