Succisa pratensis
| Succisa pratensis | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Mid Fall |
| Meadows Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Succisa pratensis (common name: devil's bit scabious)
Propagation: Seed - sow April in a cold frame. Germination is usually rapid, but the seedlings are prone to damp off so make sure they are well ventilated[1]. Prick them out into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring. Plant them straight out into their permanent positions.
Cultivation: Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1], preferring damp conditions[2][3], in sun or semi-shade[3]. Prefers a moist peaty soil[4].
Hardy to about -20°c[4].
Grows well in the summer meadow[2], it is an excellent bee and butterfly plant and a food plant for the caterpillars of many butterfly species[5][2][6].
Range: Europe, including Britain, south and east from Norway to N. Africa, Siberia and the Caucasus.
Habitat: Meadows, pastures, marshes, fens and damp woods[7][5] on slightly acid or calcareous soils[3].
Edibility: Young shoots - raw[7]. The tender young shoots are sometimes added to spring salads[7].
Medicinal: The herb is anthelmintic, demulcent, depurative, slightly diaphoretic, diuretic, emmenagogue, mildly expectorant, febrifuge and stomachic[8][7][9]. It makes a useful tea for the treatment of coughs, fevers and internal inflammations and is also a popular application externally to eczema and other cutaneous eruptions[8][7]. A tincture of the plant is a gentle but reliable treatment for bruises, aiding quick re-absorption of the blood pigment[7]. The whole herb is collected in early autumn and dried for later use[8].
Good results have been achieved by using a distilled water from the plant as an eye lotion to treat conjunctivitis[7].
Usage: A green dye is obtained from the leaves[7][10].
Pollinators: Bees, lepidoptera
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Scabiosa succisa.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Perennials - The Definitve Reference. Pan Books, 1991.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Carter, David. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan, 1982.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Sowerby, John. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 1862.