Macleaya cordata
| Macleaya cordata | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 7' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Macleaya cordata (common name: plume poppy)
Propagation: Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame in the autumn. Stored seed should be sown in the early spring. 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 the dormant season[1].
Basal cuttings in late spring. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.
Cuttings from the axils of larger leaves in early summer[1].
Root cuttings in the winter[2].
Cultivation: Requires a well-drained deep soil[3] preferring a sunny sheltered position but tolerating light shade[1]. Easily grown in sun or partial shade[4].
Hardy to about -15°c[4].
A very ornamental plant, it can be grown as an isolated specimen in a lawn[3]. An excellent plant for sub-tropical bedding[3].
Plants have spreading underground rhizomes[4] and can be invasive[1].
Range: E. Asia - E. China, Japan.
Habitat: Grassy places, open meadows and the grassy floors of Cryptomeria plantations[4].
Medicinal: The whole plant is analgesic, antioedemic, carminative, depurative and diuretic[5].
The juice from the stems of the leaves is used to treat insect bites[6].
A decoction of the leaves and stems is used in the treatment of ringworm[5].
The poisonous sap is used to counter poisonous sores[5].
Usage: The dried hollow stems can be used as whistles[7].
Kills insects and mosquito larvae[8]. The flowers are used to kill maggots whilst the whole plant is used to kill larvae and insects[5].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The sap is very poisonous[7].
Also Known As: Bocconia cordata. B. yedoensis.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.