Practical
Plants

Aponogeton distachyos

Water Hawthorn

a perennial member of the Aponogeton genus in the family Aponogetonaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Tuber - roasted[6][2]. Starchy[8]. Considered to be a great delicacy[9]. Flowering spike - pickled or used as a spinach or asparagus substitute[9][6][12][5][4][7][8]. The young shoots are used as an asparagus substitute[4][7]. The flowers are used as a flavouring[13].

Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Root
Plant part
Stem

Environment

Range
S. Africa. Occasionally naturalized in Britain[6].
Habitat
Pond margins in water 15 - 60cm deep[1].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
aquatic
Hardiness
Zone 9+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - best sown in a pot as soon as it is ripe and kept emmersed in 3cm of water. The seed can also be stored in water and sown in spring[3]. It usually germinates in 1 - 2 months at 20°c[3]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in just covered in water in a greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division can be carried out at any time in the growing season, though mid to late spring is probably best. The divisions can be planted straight out into their permanent positions.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A water plant, growing in water 15 - 60cm deep. it can also grow in wet soil but is then very restricted[13]. It requires a rich soil[13]. The tubers are not winter hardy[13]. Another report says that the plants are hardy in the milder areas of Britain[5]. They have withstood a fairly severe winter in Cornwall, when the ponds had thick ice 30cm or more deep, with very little damage[K]. A very ornamental plant[1], the flowers have a hawthorn-like scent[11].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  4. Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-12-136450-x

    ↩1↩2

  5. Taylor. J. The Milder Garden. Dent 1990-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  6. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  8. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  9. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

  10. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

  11. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

  12. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  13. Muhlberg. H. Complete Guide to Water Plants. E. P. Publishing Ltd. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0-7158-0789-7

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

Edit this page