Practical
Plants

Comandra richardsiana

Bastard Toad Flax

a perennial member of the Comandra genus in the family Santalaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.3 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

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

Fruit - raw[1]. Sweet and oily[2], it is delicious but only a few are produced[1]. The fruit is about 6mm in diameter[4].

Plant part
Fruit

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Quebec and south to Kansas.
Habitat
Calcareous, gravelly, sandy or marly soils[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
very acid, acid
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - stratify for 3 months at 5°c and then sow in the greenhouse in a pot with a suitable host. Plant out when it is well established close to a mature host plant[3].

Cultivation

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

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. It is quite possibly no more than a form of C. umbellata[4]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Requires a well-drained moisture retentive lime-free soil[3]. A parasitic plant obtaining at least some of its nutrients from the roots of other plants[3][4], we do not know the host species[K].

References

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  4. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

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