Jeffersonia diphylla
| Jeffersonia diphylla | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Speed: | Slow |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Jeffersonia diphylla (common name: twinleaf)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1]. Sow stored seed as soon as possible in late winter or the spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in early spring[1].
Cultivation: Prefers a peaty or woodland soil and a rather shady situation[2][3]. Suitable for a choice position in a cool leafy soil[4].
Plants are hardy to at least -20°c[4].
A slow-growing plant[5].
Plants have an extensive root system and resent disturbance[5]. They should be pot-grown and planted into their permanent positions as soon as possible
Range: Eastern N. America - New York and Ontario to Alabama and west to Wisconsin.
Habitat: Very rare in the wild, it is found in limestone soils and rich woods near rivers[6][7].
Medicinal: The whole plant is antispasmodic, diuretic, emetic, expectorant and tonic[8][9][10][7]. An infusion is used in the treatment of diarrhoea, dropsy, gravel and urinary problems[11].
The root is emetic in large doses and expectorant in smaller doses[12]. The root contains berberine, which has been shown to have anti-tumour activity[10].
A poultice of the plant is applied to sores, ulcers and inflamed parts[11].
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: J. binata. Podophyllum diphyllum.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Royal Horticultural Society. The Plantsman Vol. 4. 1982 - 1983. Royal Horticultural Society, 1982.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.