Hypericum androsaemum
| Hypericum androsaemum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Hypericum androsaemum (common name: tutsan)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 months at 10°c. 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.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood 10 - 12 cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Plant out in the following spring[1]
Careful division of old suckering shrubs in the dormant season.
Cultivation: Easily grown in any reasonably good well-drained but moisture retentive soil[2]. Tolerates a wide range of pH[3]. Succeeds in sun or semi-shade[2] but flowers better in a sunny position[1]. Succeeds in dry shade and is drought tolerant when established[4].
Hardy to about -20°c, but if cut back by cold weather plants can resprout from the base[5].
Plants often self-sow freely[6].
A number of named forms have been developed for their ornamental value[7].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[1].
The leaves are covered in pellucid dots which, when touched, release a resinous smell somewhat like goats[8].
Range: Western and southern Europe, including Britain, south and east to Algeria, W. Asia and the Caucasus.
Habitat: Damp woods and hedges[9].
Medicinal: The leaves are diuretic, stomachic and vulnerary[10][3]. They have antiseptic properties and have been used to cover open wounds[8].
Usage: A good ground cover plant[6]. Although it is clump forming rather than spreading it increases freely by self-sowing[3][1]. Plants are best spaced about 90cm apart each way[6].
Pollinators: Insects, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Beckett, Kenneth and Gillian Beckett. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold, 1979.
- ↑ Chatto, Beth. The Damp Garden. Dent, 1982.
- ↑ Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Shrubs. Pan Books, 1989.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.