Stachys affinis
| Stachys affinis | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Stachys affinis (common name: chinese artichoke)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. If sufficient growth has been made, it is possible to plant them out during the summer, otherwise grow them on in pots for their first summer, leaving the tubers in the pots to overwinter in a cold frame and then plant out in late spring when in active growth. Seed is rarely if ever produced on plants growing in Britain.
Division. The tubers can be harvest and replanted at any time whilst they are dormant. They do start into growth fairly early in the year so it is better to have moved them by the end of March[K].
Cultivation: Prefers a well-drained soil in a sunny position[1]. Thrives in an ordinary garden soil[2], preferring one that is not too heavy[1][3]. It grows best in a soil that has been well fed and does not dry out in the growing season[1]. Plants seem to withstand even water-logged conditions in the winter[4].
The Chinese artichoke is occasionally cultivated for its edible tubers, they are planted out in March and harvested from October onwards[2][5][6]. Although top growth is killed back by frost, the tubers are very hardy and can be left in the ground over winter to be harvested as required[7]. It is virtually impossible to find all the tubers, there are always some left behind that will grow the following season[K]. Plants are very tolerant of high summer temperatures[4].
The tubers begin to sprout at temperatures above about 5°c[4]. Plants take 5 - 7 months to develop their tubers[4].
Plants rarely flower in Britain[2].
Range: E. Asia - China, Japan.
Habitat: Wet and submersed areas; 0-3200 m. Gansu, Hebei, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Xinjiang[8]
Edibility: Tubers - raw or cooked[2][9][10][1][3]. Quite a pleasant mild flavour and easily digested[11], but fairly small and fiddly[K], they are about 5 - 8cm long and 2cm wide[7][4]. A nutty artichoke-like flavour[12], it can be eaten raw on its own, be added to salads or be lightly cooked[K]. The tubers quickly discolour when exposed to the air[7] and are said to lose their flavour if they are peeled[12]. It is best to harvest them as required[4]. Yields are about 1kg per square metre[7].
Leaves - cooked. A famine food, they are only used when all else fails[13].
Medicinal: The dried and powdered root is anodyne[14].
The entire plant has been used in the treatment of colds and pneumonia[8].
Pollinators: Insects
Notes: We could supply this in the next catalogue.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Late Spring-Late Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: S. sieboldii. S. tuberifera.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Simons, Arthur. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin, 1977.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Organ, John. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber, 1960.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Larkcom, Joy. Oriental Vegetables. John Murray, 1991.
- ↑ Ohwi, Jisaburo. Flora of Japan. Smithsonian Institution, 1965.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.