Lysichiton camtschatcense
| Lysichiton camtschatcense | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Winter-Mid Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Lysichiton camtschatcense
Propagation: The seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in pots in a cold frame[1]. Keep very moist, preferably by emmersing the pot in 2 -3 cm of water[2]. Germination is usually good, taking place within 1 - 2 months at 15°c[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in trays of water 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 the middle of autumn or mid to late winter, but no later than this because the plant will be coming into growth.
Cultivation: Requires a wet or damp humus-rich soil in full sun or semi-shade[2]. Grows well by water or in the bog garden[3]. Succeeds in shallow water.
Hardy to about -15°c[2]
Young plants require protection from slugs[4].
Plants are slow to establish at first, taking some years, but they can then become naturalized and self-sow[5]. The flowers are sweetly scented according to one report[4], whilst another says that the plant emits an unpleasant animal smell[6].
Hybridizes with L. americanus[2].
Range: E. Asia - Japan.
Habitat: Bogs and wet places, also by ponds and lakes[4].
Edibility: Young shoots - they must be thoroughly cooked otherwise they are poisonous[7].
Usage: The plants have very large leaves and form a slowly spreading clump. They can be grown as a ground cover, spaced about 1 metre apart each way[5].
Pollinators: Insects, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The plant is rich in calcium oxylate, this is toxic and if consumed makes the mouth and digestive tract feel as though hundreds of needles are being stuck into it. However, calcium oxylate is easily destroyed by thoroughly cooking or drying the plant.
Also Known As: L. album. L. japonicum.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.