Euryale ferox
Foxnut
a perennial member of the Euryale genus in the family Euryalaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Euryalaceae
- Genus
- Euryale
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Height
- 1 m
- Spread
- 3 m
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Fruit[2]. Soft and pulpy, it is about the size of a small orange[2]. It is highly esteemed in China as a cooling tonic food[1]. Seed - fresh or dried[1][3]. The seed is about the size of a pea, each fruit containing from 8 to 15 seeds[2]. The seed is usually roasted and then eaten[4]. It is also used as a source of starch[1]. A nutritional analysis is available[4]. Very young stalks and rhizomes[2][1]. Rich in starch[2].
- Plant part
- Fruit
- Plant part
- Seed
- Plant part
- Stem
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 leaf is used in cases of difficult parturition[4]. All parts of the plant are considered to be astringent, deobstruent and tonic[4]. The seed is a sweet and sour astringent herb that acts as a tonic for the kidney and the spleen[5]. The seed is analgesic and aphrodisiac[4]. It is taken internally in the treatment of chronic diarrhoea, vaginal discharge, kidney weakness associated with frequent urination, impotence, premature and involuntary ejaculation and nocturnal emissions[5][7].
- Product or use
- Analgesic
- Product or use
- Aphrodisiac
- Product or use
- Astringent
- Product or use
- Deobstruent
- Product or use
- Oxytoxic
- Product or use
- Tonic
Environment
- Range
- E. Asia - China to N. India.
- Habitat
- Ponds and lakes in lowland, C. and S. Japan[8].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- aquatic
- Hardiness
- Zone 8+
- 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 as soon as it is ripe, the seed has a short viability and must not be allowed to become dry. Sow the seed in pots in a greenhouse at about 21°c and immerse the pots in water. As soon as 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.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
A water plant, it requires a rich soil, preferably growing in still water[5]. It can be grown in still or slowly flowing water[3]. In cultivation in temperate greenhouses, the plant is often grown as an annual[3]. It requires about 0.75 cubic metres of root run[3]. This species is not very cold hardy. One report says that it succeeds in zone 8[3] which would mean that it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c but this must be viewed with some doubt. It is unlikely to succeed outdoors in Britain, at least when grown as a perennial[K]. Frequently cultivated as an edible plant in China and India, the seeds are normally available in Chinatown markets in the West[1].
References
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
Medicinal Plants in the Republic of Korea World Health Organisation, Manila 1998-00-00 ISBN 92 9061 120 0
Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00