natural herbs
Alpine Spring Beauty
Claytonia megarhiza
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:
EvergreenPerennial
Height:
15 cm(6 inches)
Flowering:
MarchHabitat 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 knownKnown hazards of Claytonia megarhiza:
None knownPlant information taken from the Plants For A Future.