Hypericum japonicum
| Hypericum japonicum | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Hypericum japonicum (common name: matted st. john's wort)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in late spring.
It might also be worthwhile trying an outdoor sowing in April.
Cultivation: Easily grown in any reasonably good well-drained but moisture retentive soil[1]. Succeeds in sun or semi-shade but flowers better in a sunny position. This species is found in the wild in wet soils.
A very variable species[2].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan to Australia and New Zealand.
Habitat: Wet places in lowland, C. and S. Japan. Rice fields, ditches, marshes, grasslands and waste places from sea level to around 3000 metres[2].
Medicinal: The plant is alterative, antiphlogistic, astringent, depurative, febrifuge and vulnerary[3][4][5]. It is decocted with water for use[4]. It is used in the treatment of asthma and dysentery, acute hepatitis, pain in the liver region, appendicitis, boils and abscesses and has also been used as a styptic[3][5][6]. The plant has also shown antitumour activity[4].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The plant is suspected of causing photo-sensitization[5]. Feeding trials to livestock in New Zealand have shown that it is non-toxic[5].
Also Known As: H. calycatum. H. pusillum.
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.