Practical
Plants

Cleome lutea

Yellow Spiderflower

an annual member of the Cleome genus in the family Capparidaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Cleome
Life cycle
annual
Height
1.2 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

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

Young shoots - cooked[6]. Seed - ground into a meal and used as a flour[6].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

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

The plant has been used to treat ant bites[4].

Product or use
Stings

Material uses

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

Yields a black dye[6]. No further details are given, but it is probably obtained by boiling down the whole plant[K].

Product or use
Dye

Environment

Range
Western N. America - Nebraska to Washington and Arizona.
Habitat
Sandy soils on desert plains to lower montane valleys, it is also found on sandy flatland[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - surface sow or only lightly cover the seed in spring in a greenhouse[2]. The seed usually germinates in 5 - 14 days at 25°c[2]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in late spring. Day time temperatures below 20°c depress germination but a night time fall to 20° is necessary[2].

Cultivation

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

Prefers a light fertile soil in a warm dry sunny position with plenty of room to spread[1][3]. A frost tender plant, it can be grown as a summer annual in Britain[3].

References

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

    ↩

  2. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2

  4. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  5. Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00

    ↩

  6. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

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