Hydrophyllum occidentale
| Hydrophyllum occidentale | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Hydrophyllum occidentale (common name: western waterleaf)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in early spring. Sow stored seed as early in the year as possible. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring or autumn[1]. 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: We have almost no information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain though judging by the plants native range it should succeed outdoors at least in the milder areas of this country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Requires a moist humus-rich soil in semi-shade[1].
Slugs are particularly fond of this plant and will soon destroy it if given a chance[K].
Range: Western N. America - Oregon to California.
Habitat: Thickets, dense or open woods and moist open places[2].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[3][4][5].
Root - cooked[4][6]. Used as a staple food by some native North American Indian tribes[7].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Hitchcock, Leo. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, 1955.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.