Filipendula ulmaria
| Filipendula ulmaria | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 2 |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 4' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Summer |
| Meadows Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Filipendula ulmaria (common name: meadowsweet)
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.
The flowers have a strong sweet smell[5], which for many people is sickly[6]. The leaves are also aromatic[7], though the scent is very different from the flowers[5]. The leaves are pleasantly aromatic[6].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[9].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Iceland south and east to Spain, temperate Asia and Mongolia.
Habitat: Wet ground in swamps, marshes, fens, wet woods and meadows, wet rock ledges and by rivers, but not on acid peats[3].
Edibility: Root - cooked[10][11].
Young leaves - cooked as a flavouring in soups[12].
Young leaves, flowers and roots are brewed into a tea[13].
The dried leaves are used as a flavouring[14][15], especially as a sweetener in herb teas[16][13].
The flowers are used as a flavouring in various alcoholic beverages and in stewed fruits[13]. Adding them to wine or beer is said to make a very heady brew[17]. They are also made into a syrup which can be used in cooling drinks and fruit salads[13].
Medicinal: Meadowsweet has a very long history of herbal use, it was one of the three most sacred herbs of the Druids[18]. The leaves and flowering stems are alterative, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, aromatic, astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic, stomachic and tonic[5][19][20][21]. The plant is harvested in July when it is in flower and can be dried for later use[5]. The flower head contains salicylic acid, from which the drug aspirin can be synthesised[2][18]. Unlike the extracted aspirin, which can cause gastric ulceration at high doses, the combination of constituents in meadowsweet act to protect the inner lining of the stomach and intestines whilst still providing the anti-inflammatory benefits of aspirin[22]. The herb is a valuable medicine in the treatment of diarrhoea, indeed it is considered almost specific in the treatment of children's diarrhoea[5]. It is also considered to be a useful stomachic, being used to treat hyperacidity, heartburn, gastritis and peptic ulcers, for which it is one of the most effective plant remedies[5][18]. It is also frequently used in the treatment of afflictions of the blood[5]. Meadowsweet is also effective against the organisms causing diphtheria, dysentery and pneumonia[18]. This remedy should not be given to people who are hypersensitive to aspirin[18].
A strong decoction of the boiled root is said to be effective, when used externally, in the treatment of sores and ulcers[17].
A homeopathic remedy is made from the fresh root[19].
Usage: A black dye is obtained from the roots. It is brown[11].
A yellow dye is obtained from the plant tops[23].
An essential oil obtained from the flower buds is used in perfumery[24][25].
The whole plant, but especially the leaves[6], was formerly used as a strewing herb, imparting an almond-like fragrance[5][26]. Strongly aromatic, its delightful perfume would completely fill the room[17].
Both flowers and leaves have been used in pot-pourri, retaining their scent for several months. The scent of the dried flowers becoming more and more pleasant with age[6].
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.
Also Known As: Spiraea ulmaria. Ulmaria pentapetala.
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 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 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 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Carter, David. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan, 1982.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Carruthers, S. Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading, 1986.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Loewenfeld, Claire and Philippa Back. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Phillips, Roger. Herbs. Pan Books, 1990.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Coon, Nelson. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press, 1975.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Freethy, Ron. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press, 1985.