Potentilla chinensis
| Potentilla chinensis | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Potentilla chinensis (common name: chinese cinquefoil)
Propagation: Seed - sow early spring or autumn in a cold frame. 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 spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.
Cultivation: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in most parts of this country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Easily grown in a well-drained loam, preferring a position in full sun but tolerating shade[1]. Prefers an alkaline soil but tolerates a slightly acid soil[2].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[3].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan, Korea, Manchuria.
Habitat: Sandy sunny places, especially along the banks of rivers, C. and S. Japan[4]. Meadows on mountain slopes, grassland, ravines, forest edge, thickets or sparse forest; 400-3200 metres[5].
Edibility: Young shoots and leaves - cooked. A famine food, it is only used when all else fails[6].
Medicinal: The plant is rich in tannins[7]. It is astringent and is used in the treatment of diarrhoea[8]. It is also emmenagogue and febrifuge[8]. It is used in Korea to treat fevers and as a women's tonic[7].
The plant has antitumour activity[7].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea. World Health Organisation, 1998.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.