Hydrophyllum virginianum
| Hydrophyllum virginianum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Hydrophyllum virginianum (common name: virginia 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: 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: Eastern N. America - Quebec and New England to Virginia, west to Tennessee and Kansas.
Habitat: Rich woods and damp clearings[2].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[3][4]. A bland flavour[5]. The mild-tasting and tender young leaves make a pleasant addition to the salad bowl[6][K], whilst older leaves make a good spinach[6]. Only use when young, they become bitter with age[5].
Medicinal: A tea made from the roots is astringent, it is used in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery etc[7]. A decoction, or the chewed root, has been used as a wash for cracked lips and sore mouths[8].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press, 1977.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.