Salvia lyrata
| Salvia lyrata | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Salvia lyrata (common name: cancer weed)
Propagation: Seed - sow March/April in a greenhouse[1]. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer. In areas where the plant is towards the limits of its hardiness, it is best to grow the plants on in a greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood succeed at almost any time in the growing season[1].
Cultivation: Requires a very well-drained light sandy soil in a sunny position[1]. Prefers a rich soil[2]. Plants can be killed by excessive winter wet[1].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[3].
Range: Eastern N. America - Pennsylvania to Florida, west to Texas and Illinois.
Habitat: Sandy soils and lawns[4].
Medicinal: The plant is diaphoretic and mildly laxative[4]. It can be used in the treatment of diarrhoea, coughs and colds[5].
The fresh leaves are applied to remove warts[6]. The plant is also a folk remedy for cancer[4].
The leaves and seeds are made into an ointment to cure wounds and sores[6].
The root can be used to make a salve for sores[4][5].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.