Hippuris vulgaris
| Hippuris vulgaris | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Hippuris vulgaris (common name: common marestail)
Propagation: Seed. We have no details on this species but suggest sowing it as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The plant spreads vegetatively so vigorously, however, that you probably won't have to worry about growing it from seed.
Division in spring. Division is very easy and can be carried out at any time in the growing season. The divisions can be replanted direct into their permanent positions.
Cultivation: Requires a wet soil or shallow water, preferring one that is base-rich[1]. Dislikes shade.
Plants have a spreading root system and can be very invasive[2].
Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, south and east to N. Africa, western and northern Asia.
Habitat: Pond margins, ditches etc, preferring base-rich water[1].
Edibility: Leaves and young shoots - raw or cooked[3][4][5][6]. Used to make soups[6]. They are best harvested from autumn to spring, even the brown overwintered stems in spring can be used[7].
Medicinal: The whole plant is an effective vulnerary, the juice being taken internally or applied externally[8][7].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: H. tetraphylla.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.