Practical
Plants

Incarvillea delavayi

a perennial member of the Incarvillea genus in the family Bignoniaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.4 m
Spread
0.3 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

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

One report suggests that the plant might be slightly toxic[2].

Edible uses

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

Leaves and young shoots - cooked. A famine food, it is only used when all else fails[2]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

Plant part
Leaves

Environment

Range
E. Asia - S.W. China in Yunnan.
Habitat
Grassy places and scrub around 2000 metres[3]. Pastures and open grassland, 2400 - 3500 metres, but it is now uncommon in its native range[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
drought
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
tolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - sow autumn or spring in a greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle. Grow on for at least their first winter in a greenhouse and plant out into their permanent positions in spring after the last expected frosts. Division with care in early spring or autumn.

Cultivation

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

Easily grown in a deep sandy but rich soil in full sun[3][5]. Plants grow better if given some shade around midday[5]. Prefers a well-drained calcareous or neutral soil[6] and is drought tolerant when established[4]. Another report says that it dislikes dry summer soils[5]. Dislikes winter wet[5]. Prefers a sheltered position[6]. Plants are hardy to about -15°c, tolerating even lower temperatures if the roots are well mulched, preferably with dry bracken[1][3][5]. The crown of the plant requires protection from slugs in the winter[3]. A very ornamental plant, it usually takes about 3 - 4 years to come into flower from seed[6]. This species is often confused in cultivation with I. mairei[6]. Plants are intolerant of root disturbance, it is best to place them in their permanent positions whilst small[5]. The plants will often sulk for several years if they are divided[6].

References

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

    ↩

  2. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30936-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  4. Chatto. B. The Dry Garden. Dent 1982-00-00 ISBN 0460045512

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  6. Matthews. V. The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994. Royal Horticultural Society 1994-00-00 ISBN 1352-4186

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  7. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

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