Scrophularia nodosa
| Scrophularia nodosa | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Scrophularia nodosa (common name: knotted figwort)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
If you have sufficient seed then it can be sown outdoors in situ in the autumn or the spring.
Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.
Cultivation: Succeeds in most moist to wet soils in full sun or partial shade[1].
Plants are hardy to at least -15°c[1].
Range: Europe, incl Britain, south and east from Norway to Spain and temperate Asia to the Yensei region.
Habitat: Damp ground in woods, hedgebanks, by streams etc[2]. An occasional garden weed[3].
Edibility: Root - cooked[4]. It smells and tastes unpleasant, but has been used in times of famine[4][1]. There must be some doubts about the edibility of this root[K].
Medicinal: Knotted figwort is a plant that supports detoxification of the body and it may be used as a treatment for various kinds of skin disorders[5].
The whole plant is alterative, anodyne, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, mildly purgative and stimulant[4][2][6][7]. It is harvested as the plant comes into flower in the summer and can be dried for later use[4]. A decoction is applied externally to sprains, swellings, burns, inflammations etc, and is said to be useful in treating chronic skin diseases, scrofulous sores and gangrene[4][5]. The leaves can also be applied fresh or be made into an ointment[4]. Internally, the plant is used in the treatment of chronic skin diseases (such as eczema, psoriasis and pruritis), mastitis, swollen lymph nodes and poor circulation[1]. It should not be prescribed for patients with heart conditions[1].
The root is anthelmintic[2].
Pollinators: Bees, wasps
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.