Helianthemum canadense
| Helianthemum canadense | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Helianthemum canadense (common name: frostweed)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 6 - 8cm with a heel, late summer in a sandy soil in a frame[1].
Cultivation: Requires a light well-drained soil in a sunny open position[1]. Tolerates a pH range from 5.5 to 8[1].
Range: Eastern N. America - Maine to Ontario and Wisconsin, south to North Carolina and Mississippi.
Habitat: Open woods, clearings and barrens in dry sandy soils[2]
Medicinal: The dried leaves are alterative, antiscrofulatic, astringent and tonic[3][4][5][6].
A tea made from the leaves is used in the treatment of kidney ailments and sore throats[7][8]. A strong leaf tea has been used in the treatment of scrofula[7]. It is applied externally to skin diseases and eye infections[7]. It is said that an oil helpful in the treatment of cancer has been obtained from the plant[3].
Some caution is advised since an overdose can cause nausea and vomiting[3].
Pollinators: Insects, cleistogamy
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.