Silene firma
| Silene firma | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Silene firma (common name: catchfly)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in situ. It is quite likely that an early autumn sowing will overwinter successfully to produce a larger plant in the spring and summer[K].
Cultivation: W have very little information on this species, though judging by its wide range it should be hardy in most of Britain[K]. It is likely to prefer a well-drained moisture retentive light loamy soil in a sunny position[1][2].
Range: E. Asia - China and Japan.
Habitat: Pebbly river banks, sandy and pebbly shores and shrub thickets[3]. Mountain grassland and scrub throughout China[4].
Edibility: Young plant - cooked[5][6].
Medicinal: The leaves and stems contain several medically active constituents including saponins and flavonoids[7]. They have been shown to promote the production of drug-metabolizing enzymes in the liver[7]. The plant is said to be contraceptive, emmenagogue and galactogogue[7]. It is used in Korea in the treatment of gonorrhoea, to stimulate the milk and the menstrual flow, and also as a contraceptive[7].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea. World Health Organisation, 1998.