Senecio scandens
| Senecio scandens | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 16' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Early Fall-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Senecio scandens
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Only just cover the seed. 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 late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring[1].
Root cuttings in early spring[1].
Cultivation: Succeeds in a sunny position in most well-drained moderately fertile soils[1].
Not very hardy in Britain, it succeeds outdoors in the milder areas of the country where it needs to be grown on a sunny sheltered wall[2]. Requires a warm, dry essentially frost-free climate[1]. Plants can be cut back to the ground in cold winters, though they usually resprout from the base[3].
A climbing plant, it needs support and to be tied onto wires[2]. Any pruning is best carried out in spring[3].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat: Shady and damp places by roads[4]. Forests in the Himalayas, 1800 - 3600 metres from Uttar Pradesh to Bhutan[5].
Medicinal: The whole plant is depurative, febrifuge and ophthalmic[4][6]. Internally, a decoction is used in the treatment of epidemic influenza, malaria, boils and abscesses, acute conjunctivitis, dysentery and enteritis[4]. The plant can also be crushed and applied externally[4].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: One report says that this species is slightly toxic[4], it belongs to a genus that contains a number of plants with a cumulative poisonous effect on the liver[7]. Some caution is advised.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Grey-Wilson, Christopher and Victoria Matthews. Gardening on Walls. Collins, 1983.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg and Adam Stainton. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press, 1984.
- ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.