Herb: Tuberous Spring Beauty


Latin name: Claytonia tuberosa


Family: Portulacaceae (Purslane Family)



Edible parts of Tuberous Spring Beauty:

Root - raw or cooked. It can be added to soups and stews. It is rather small. Leaves - raw or cooked. A source of vitamins A and C, the leaves can be used as greens. Flowers - raw.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
15 cm
(6 inches)

Flowering:
March

Habitat of the herb:

Sphagnum tundra in the Arctic.

Propagation of Tuberous 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:

Sphagnum tundra in the Arctic.

Medicinal use of Tuberous Spring Beauty:

None known

Known hazards of Claytonia tuberosa:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.