Gnaphalium affine
| Gnaphalium affine | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Life Cycle: | Biennial |
| Height: | 1' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Gnaphalium affine
Propagation: Seed - sow late spring in situ and only just cover the seed.
Cultivation: We have very little information on this species but it should succeed as a spring-sown annual in Britain. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Requires a well-drained soil in a sunny position[1].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea, India.
Habitat: Waste ground and cultivated fields in lowland all over Japan[2]. Hillsides and arid ground in China[3].Open places at elevations of 600 - 3500 metres in Nepal[4].
Edibility: The leaves are used in rice dumplings[5]. The plant contains a large amount of carotene[6].
Medicinal: The whole plant is antiperiodic, antitussive, expectorant and febrifuge[3][7][6]. A decoction is used in the treatment of influenza, sore throat, productive coughing, rheumatoid arthralgia, traumatic injuries, leucorrhoea, seminal emissions, hives and weeping pruritis of the skin[3].
Usage: The wooly hairs of the dried leaves are used as a tinder[4].
Pollinators: Insects
Habit: Biennial
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: G. multiceps.
Links
References
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.