Scrophularia umbrosa
| Scrophularia umbrosa | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 5' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Scrophularia umbrosa (common name: water betony)
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 soils.
A good bee plant[2].
Range: Europe, including Britain, south and east from S. Sweden to France, Palestine and Asia to Tibet.
Habitat: Damp shady ground, usually near water[2][3]. An occasional garden weed[4].
Edibility: Root - cooked[5][6]. There must be some doubts about the edibility of this root[K].
Medicinal: The leaves are detergent and vulnerary[2]. They are harvested as the plant comes into flower and can be used fresh or dried for later use[2]. The plant has a good reputation as a wound herb, either applied externally as a poultice or taken as a decoction.[2]
Water betony is said to have similar medicinal properties to the knotted figwort, S. nodosa[7]. These properties are as follows:-
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[7].
The whole plant is alterative, anodyne, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, mildly purgative and stimulant[2][8][9][10]. It is harvested as the plant comes into flower in the summer and can be dried for later use[2]. 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[2][7]. The leaves can also be applied fresh or be made into an ointment[2]. 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[8].
Pollinators: Bees, wasps
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The plant is probably poisonous to cows[11].
Also Known As: S. alata. S. aquatica. L. (name ambiguous). S. neesii.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ Cooper, Marion. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. The Stationery Office, 1984.