Epimedium sagittatum
| Epimedium sagittatum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Epimedium sagittatum
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 shade of trees[3].
Although the plants are hardy to at least -15°c, the young growth in spring can be killed by frosts[4].
Grows well in the rock garden or wild garden[2].
Cultivated as a medicinal plant in Japan[5].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[3].
Range: E. Asia - China.
Habitat: Hillsides in damp shady bamboo groves or in cliff crevices[6]. Moist woodlands[4].
Edibility: Young plant and young leaves - cooked[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 whole plant is antirheumatic, aphrodisiac, carminative, expectorant, ophthalmic and vasodilator. Used as a kidney tonic, it also treats sterility and barrenness[6][9][4]. It is taken internally in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis, cold or numb extremities, arthritis, lumbago, impotence, involuntary and premature ejaculation, high blood pressure and absentmindedness[4]. It should be used with some caution since in excess it can cause vomiting, dizziness, thirst and nosebleeds[4].
The plant is harvested in the growing season and dried for later use[4].
Usage: A good ground cover plant[1].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: E. sinense.
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 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.