Filipendula rubra
| Filipendula rubra | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 8' |
| Width: | 4' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Meadows Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Filipendula rubra (common name: queen of the prairie)
Propagation: Seed - best sown in the autumn in a cold frame[1]. The seed can also be sown in a cold frame in spring, germinating best at a temperature of 10 - 13°c[2]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer if they have grown enough. If not, keep them in a cold frame for the winter and plant them out in late spring.
Division in autumn or winter[2]. 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: Requires a humus-rich moist soil in semi-shade[2]. Succeeds in full sun only if the soil is reliably moist throughout the growing season[2]. Dislikes dry or acid soils[1][3]. Does well in marshy soils[4][2]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Plants can be grown in quite coarse grass, which can be cut annually in the autumn[5].
Although the plants are perfectly hardy in Britain, they appreciate the winter protection of bracken or some similar mulch when grown in areas of prolonged frosts[2]. Plants spread fairly freely and form large clumps[5].
There is at least one named variety, selected for its ornamental value[2].
The flowers are very attractive to bees[4][6].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[5].
Range: Eastern N. America - Pennsylvania to Georgia, west to Michigan and Iowa.
Habitat: Moist meadows and bogs[7].
Medicinal: The root is rich in tannin, it is used as an astringent in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery, bleeding etc[7]. It has also been used in the treatment of various heart complaints[8].
The plant probably contains salicylic acid, the chemical forerunner of aspirin[7]. This is anti-inflammatory and analgesic[7].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, beetles, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Carter, David. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan, 1982.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.