Pulsatilla vulgaris
| Pulsatilla vulgaris | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Pulsatilla vulgaris (common name: pasque flower)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in early summer in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in about 2 - 3 weeks. Sow stored seed in late winter in a cold frame. Germination takes about 1 - 6 months at 15°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in the spring.
Root cuttings, 4cm long taken in early winter, potted up in a mixture of peat and sand[1]. They can also be taken in July/August, planted vertically in pots in a greenhouse or frame. Some care is needed since the plant resents root disturbance[2].
Cultivation: Requires a well-drained humus rich gritty soil in a sunny position[2]. Lime tolerant[3]. Prefers lime[4]. Grows best in a well-drained chalky soil in a dry warm situation[5]. Established plants are fairly drought tolerant[6].
A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -20°c[4].
A very ornamental plant[3], there are many named varieties[4]. The plant has become rare in its natural environment, due partly to over-collecting and partly to habitat loss[7].
Large plants transplant badly[2].
A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[8].
Range: Northern and central Europe, including Britain, to W. Asia.
Habitat: Dry, sunny grassy calcareous slopes[9][10][5].
Medicinal: Pasque flower is considered by herbalists to be of highly valuable modern curative use as a herbal simple[11]. The plant contains the glycoside ranunculin, this is converted to anemonine when the plant is dried and is the medicinally active principle in the plant[5].
The whole plant is alterative, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, nervine and sedative[11][12][13]. It is taken internally in the treatment of pre-menstrual syndrome, inflammations of the reproductive organs, tension headaches, neuralgia, insomnia, hyperactivity, bacterial skin infections, septicaemia, spasmodic coughs in asthma, whooping cough and bronchitis[7]. Externally, it is used to treat eye conditions such as diseases of the retina, senile cataract and glaucoma[10]. This remedy should be used with caution[13], excessive doses cause diarrhoea and vomiting[7]. It should not be prescribed to patients with colds[7]. See also the notes above on toxicity[13]. The plant is harvested soon after flowering, it is more poisonous when fresh and so should be carefully preserved by drying[11][5]. It should not be stored for longer than 12 months before being used[11].
In homeopathy, the plant is considered to be specific in the treatment of measles[10]. It is also used for treating nettle rash, toothache, earache and bilious indigestion[10].
Usage: A green dye is obtained from the flowers[7].
Plants can be grown to form a ground cover, they are best spaced about 30cm apart each way[14].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Mid Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The plant is slightly toxic, the toxins are dissipated by heat or by drying the plant[15].
Repeated handling of the plant can cause skin irritation in some people[7].
Also Known As: Anemone pulsatilla
Links
References
- ↑ Bird, Alfred. Focus on Plants Volume 5. Thompson and Morgan, 1991.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 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 5.2 5.3 Stuart, Malcolm. The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism. Orbis Publishing, 1979.
- ↑ Chatto, Beth. The Damp Garden. Dent, 1982.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Hatfield, Audrey. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd, 1974.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Phillips, Roger. Herbs. Pan Books, 1990.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Plants for Ground Cover. Everyman, 1990.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.