Herb: Bellwort


Latin name: Uvularia sessilifolia


Synonyms: Oakesia sessilifolia, Oakesiella sessilifolia


Family: Uvulariaceae



Medicinal use of Bellwort:

A tea made from the roots is a blood purifier and is used in the treatment of diarrhoea. It is taken internally to aid in healing broken bones. A poultice of the roots is applied to broken bones, boils etc.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
30 cm
(11 3/4 inch)

Flowering:
May to
June

Habitat of the herb:

Moist woods, thickets and clearings.

Edible parts of Bellwort:

Young shoots - cooked. The shoots are harvested when they are still tender enough to be broken off with a fingernail and are used as an asparagus substitute. Root - cooked or used in diet drinks.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the summer. Sow stored seed in late winter 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 at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division after the plants die down in late summer. It is best carried out in early spring before the plants flower. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the following spring.

Cultivation of Bellwort:

Moist woods, thickets and clearings.

Known hazards of Uvularia sessilifolia:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.