Herb: Pacific Silverweed


Latin name: Potentilla egedei


Synonyms: Potentilla pacifica


Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family)



Medicinal use of Pacific Silverweed:

The whole plant is astringent. A poultice of the boiled roots and oil can be applied to sores and swellings. The juice from the roots has been used as a wash for sore eyes.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
50 cm
(1 foot)

Habitat of the herb:

Coastal dunes, beaches, sand flats, marsh edges and streambanks, occasionally inland, from Alaska to California.

Edible parts of Pacific Silverweed:

Root - raw or cooked. The raw root has a bitter flavour but most of the bitterness is lost once the root is cooked and the flavour then becomes somewhat like a sweet potato. The roots are rather thin but were a staple food of some North American Indian tribes.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - sow early spring or autumn in a cold frame. 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 in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

Cultivation of Pacific Silverweed:

Coastal dunes, beaches, sand flats, marsh edges and streambanks, occasionally inland, from Alaska to California.

Known hazards of Potentilla egedei:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.