Practical
Plants

Mertensia paniculata

a perennial member of the Mertensia genus in the family Boraginaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.75 m
Spread
0.6 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

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

Flowers - raw[3]. Leaves - raw or cooked[3]. The leaves are rather hairy and are not so nice when eaten raw[3].

Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Leaves

Environment

Range
Western N. America - Hudson Bay to Alaska, south to Michigan, Nebraska, Idaho and Washington.
Habitat
Woods, moist meadows, damp thickets, wet cliffs, riverbanks, dry slopes and burn areas from the foothills to high elevations in the mountains[7][3].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
high
Hardiness
Zone 4+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
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 - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[1][4]. Sow stored seed as early in the year as possible. Protect from direct sunlight[4]. When 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. Division, with care, in early spring or autumn[4].

Cultivation

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

Easily grown in an ordinary garden soil with some shade[1][2]. Prefers a deep moist but well-drained humus-rich soil in sun or semi-shade[4]. If the plant is cut down after flowering, it will normally produce another flush of flowers[5]. A very ornamental plant[5], it grows well in open woodland[4].

References

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

    ↩1↩2

  2. Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926-00-00

    ↩

  3. Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest.

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  5. Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8

    ↩1↩2

  6. 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

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

    ↩

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