Sium latifolium
| Sium latifolium | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 7' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Sium latifolium (common name: water parsnip)
Propagation: Seed - sow late winter to early spring in a cold frame. The seed can be slow to germinate[1]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer if they are large enough. Otherwise, grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter and plant them out in the following spring.
Division in early spring just before new growth begins. Use the side roots[2]. 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: Prefers a light, rich, moisture retentive soil in full sun[1]. A plant of wet ground and shallow water, it grows best in about 20cm of water[3].
Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, excluding the northwest, Portugal, Greece and Turkey.
Habitat: Fens and other wet places, often in water, avoiding acid conditions[4].
Edibility: Leaves - cooked[5][6]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Usage: An essential oil is obtained from the seed[7].
Pollinators: Beetles, flies, bees
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The entire plant, and especially the root, is poisonous[8][7]. There is no firm proof of this[9].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Muhlberg, Helmut. Complete Guide to Water Plants. Sterling Publishing, 1982.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 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 Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Cooper, Marion. Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. The Stationery Office, 1984.