Potentilla palustris
| Potentilla palustris | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 5' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Potentilla palustris (common name: marsh 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: Requires a moist to wet soil, preferably on the acid side.
A very cold-hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°c[1].
A rapidly spreading plant, capable of forming clumps several metres across[1]. It is a plant for the wild wet garden[1].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[2].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Iceland south and east to the Pyrenees, temperate Asia and Japan.
Habitat: Marshes, bogs, acid fens and wet heaths[3].
Edibility: The dried leaves are a tea substitute[4][5][6].
Medicinal: The root is astringent. A decoction has been used in the treatment of dysentery and stomach cramps[6].
Usage: A red dye is obtained from the flowers[7].
Tannin is obtained from the root[7].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Comarum palustre. L.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.