Herb: Twinflower


Latin name: Linnaea borealis


Family: Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle Family)



Medicinal use of Twinflower:

The plant has been used as a tonic in pregnancy and also in the treatment of painful or difficult menstruation. The mashed plant is used as a poultice on inflamed limbs and is also applied to the head to ease the pain of headaches.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
20 cm
(7 3/4 inch)

Flowering:
May to
August

Scent:
Scented
Shrub

Habitat of the herb:

Woods, especially pine, and in the shade of rocks to elevations of 725 metres in N. Britain.

Edible parts of Twinflower:

A food plant. No more details are given.

Other uses of the herb:

The plant forms an extensive twiggy mat and is useful as a ground cover on peat beds and in rock gardens. Plants form a dense carpet when growing in god conditions, rooting as they spread, but otherwise the cover is sparse. Plants should be spaced about 60cm apart each way.

Propagation of Twinflower:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Sow stored seed as soon as possible, it is likely to require a period of cold stratification. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division of rooted runners in the spring. Layering. Cuttings of half-ripe wood in the summer. They are rather slow to root.

Cultivation of the herb:

Woods, especially pine, and in the shade of rocks to elevations of 725 metres in N. Britain.

Known hazards of Linnaea borealis:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.