Myriophyllum spicatum
| Myriophyllum spicatum | |
| Light: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Myriophyllum spicatum (common name: water milfoil)
Propagation: Seed - we have no information for this species but the seed is quite probably of limited germination, especially if it becomes dry, and so is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame if this is possible. Otherwise store the seed in a cool place in a jar of water and sow in the spring. Keep the pots in trays of water. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the spring.
Cuttings can be inserted directly into the soil of the pond at any time in the growing season[1].
Division.
Cultivation: Requires a sandy medium, rich in decaying organic matter, in full sun[2].
Plants overwinter as resting buds at the bottom of the pond[3]. Another report says that the plants do not form winter buds, but persist at the bottom of the pond[1].
This species is considered to have the potential to be invasive when introduced into some areas such as Texas[4].
A good water oxygenator[2].
Range: Europe, including Britain, Asia, N. Africa, N. America..
Habitat: Lakes, ponds, ditches etc, to 450 metres. Locally common, especially in calcareous waters[5].
Edibility: Root - raw or cooked[6]. Sweet and crunchy, the roots were a much relished food for several native North American Indian tribes[6].
Medicinal: The plant is demulcent and febrifuge[7].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Muhlberg, Helmut. Complete Guide to Water Plants. Sterling Publishing, 1982.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Diggs, George and Barney Lipscomb. Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute, 1999.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.