Practical
Plants

Drymaria cordata

West Indin Chickweed

an annual or perennial member of the Drymaria genus in the family Caryophyllaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual, perennial
Height
0.6 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

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

Tender young leaves and shoots - raw or cooked as a vegetable[5]. The leaves are used as a salad for their cooling properties[4]. Another report says that the herb is eaten raw or cooked as a stimulant[3].

Plant part
Leaves

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 pounded leaf is applied to snake bites in China[3]. The plant is appetizer, depurative, emollient, febrifuge, laxative and stimulant[3][4][5]. The juice of the plant is used[4].

Product or use
Antidote
Product or use
Appetizer
Product or use
Depurative
Product or use
Emollient
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Laxative
Product or use
Stimulant

Environment

Range
E. Asia - Japan, India and extending to the Tropics.
Habitat
Lowland in C. Japan[6]. The plant grows in tropical and sub-tropical India, but extends into the Himalayas up to elevations of 2100 metres[4].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
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 - sow in situ in the spring. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 4 weeks at 20°c[2].

Cultivation

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

Prefers a rather rich soil in full sun[1][2]. We have very little information on this species and have some doubts about how hardy it is in this country. We assume that it is a perennial plant that can be grown in Britain as a frost-tender annual.

References

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

    ↩

  2. Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3

  4. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  5. Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-527-6

    ↩1↩2

  6. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

    ↩

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