Herb latin name: Bergenia purpurascens


Family: Saxifragaceae (Saxifrage Family)



Medicinal use of Bergenia purpurascens:

The root is astringent, styptic, tonic. A safe and effective treatment for chronic bronchitis. It is also used in the treatment of giddiness and general physical feebleness. Extracts of the plant are antiseptic. The plant is a source of the drug bergenin.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Perennial

Height:
45 cm
(1 foot)

Flowering:
March
to May

Habitat of the herb:

On rocks and open slopes, 3600 - 4700 metres. in the Himalayas. Forests, scrub, alpine meadows and alpine rock crevices at elevations of 2700 - 4800 metres in western China.

Other uses of Bergenia purpurascens:

A useful ground cover plant, though rather slow to spread. Plants form clumps.

Propagation of the herb:

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 Bergenia purpurascens:

On rocks and open slopes, 3600 - 4700 metres. in the Himalayas. Forests, scrub, alpine meadows and alpine rock crevices at elevations of 2700 - 4800 metres in western China.

Known hazards of Bergenia purpurascens:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.