Herb: Alpine Spring Beauty


Latin name: Claytonia megarhiza


Synonyms: Claytonia megarrhiza


Family: Portulacaceae (Purslane Family)



Edible parts of Alpine Spring Beauty:

Root - raw or cooked. Peeled, then boiled or baked. The root is long, fleshy and up to 2.5cm thick. Leaves and flowering tops - raw or cooked as a potherb. Succulent, juicy and mild in flavour. Flowers - raw.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Perennial

Height:
15 cm
(6 inches)

Flowering:
March

Habitat of the herb:

Gravelly soils, rock crevices and high montane regions.

Propagation of Alpine Spring Beauty:

Seed - surface sow on a peat based compost in spring in a cold frame. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 4 weeks at 10°C. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. Division of offsets in spring or autumn.

Cultivation of the herb:

Gravelly soils, rock crevices and high montane regions.

Medicinal use of Alpine Spring Beauty:

None known

Known hazards of Claytonia megarhiza:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.