Veronica anagallis-aquatica
| Veronica anagallis-aquatica | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Veronica anagallis-aquatica (common name: water speedwell)
Propagation: Seed - sow autumn in a cold frame[1]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
If you have sufficient seed it can be grown in situ in the autumn or spring.
Division in autumn or spring[1]. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.
Cuttings of young shoots root easily in the growing season, merely put them in water.
Cultivation: Easily grown in a moderately fertile wet soil or in shallow water[2][1]. Prefers cool summers[1].
Plants are occasionally cultivated for their edible leaves in Japan[3].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to N. Africa, temperate Asia to Japan.
Habitat: Marshes, ditches, wet meadows, ponds and streams, avoiding acid conditions[2][4].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[5][3]. Rich in vitamin C[6]. A subtle flavour[7], the leaves can be added to salads or used as a potherb[8]. When used in salads they go better with a lemon dressing than vinegar[8]. The leaves are often available in winter.
Medicinal: The root and the leaves are alterative, appetizer and diuretic[9][10]. The leaves are used in the treatment of scurvy, impurity of the blood etc[10]. The plant is bruised and applied externally as a poultice on burns, ulcers, whitlows, etc[10].
Pollinators: Flies, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: V. anagallis.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Corbetta, Francisco. The COmplete Book of Fruits and Vegetables. 1985.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.