Stachys palustris
| Stachys palustris | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Stachys palustris (common name: marsh woundwort)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer.
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: Requires a moist soil for good root production[1][2].
A good bee plant[2].
All parts of the plant emit an unpleasant smell when bruised[3].
Range: Europe, including Britain, south and east from Norway to Portugal and temperate Asia to Japan.
Habitat: By streams and ditches, also in swamps and fens. Occasionally found on arable land[4].
Edibility: Tubers - raw or cooked[K]. A wholesome and nutritious food[5], they have a pleasant mild nutty flavour[K]. The tubers can be dried and ground into a powder that is used in making bread etc[1][5][6][7][8]. The tubers are formed in the autumn[4]. Although quite small, they are fairly smooth and produced in a reasonable quantity so are not too fiddly to utilize[K].
Young shoots - cooked. Used as an asparagus substitute[8]. A pleasant taste but the smell is disagreeable[5].
Seed[9]. No further details are given[9].
Medicinal: The plant is antiseptic, antispasmodic, emetic, emmenagogue, expectorant, haemostatic, nervine, sedative, tonic, vulnerary[5][10][11]. The plant has been highly valued for its wound-healing activity, being effective against both internal and external bleeding, and is also used in the treatment of gout, cramps and pains in the joints[5]. The herb is harvested in the summer when just coming into flower and can be dried for later use[5].
Usage: A yellow dye is obtained from the plant[12].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Loewenfeld, Claire and Philippa Back. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles.
- ↑ Sowerby, John. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 1862.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.