Herb latin name: Bergenia cordifolia


Family: Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage Family)



Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Perennial

Height:
30 cm
(11 3/4 inch)

Flowering:
March
to April

Habitat of Bergenia cordifolia:

Damp rocky woodland and meadows.

Other uses of the herb:

A useful ground cover plant, though rather slow to spread. It forms a clump. Tannin is obtained from the bark. On a 10% moisture basis, the roots contain 14.5% tannin and the leaves 10.5%.

Propagation of Bergenia cordifolia:

Seed - surface sow in a greenhouse. Make sure that the compost does not dry out. Two weeks cold stratification can speed up germination which usually takes 1 - 6 months at 15°C. Fresh seed, sown as soon as it is ripe in late spring is liable to germinate better than stored seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in late spring after flowering or in autumn. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted straight into their permanent positions whilst smaller clumps are best potted up and kept in a cold frame until they are growing away well.

Cultivation of the herb:

Damp rocky woodland and meadows.

Medicinal use of Bergenia cordifolia:

None known

Known hazards of Bergenia cordifolia:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.