Practical
Plants

Sherardia arvensis

Field Madder

an annual member of the Sherardia genus in the family Rubiaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Rubiaceae
Life cycle
annual
Height
0.3 m
Fertility
Flies
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Flies

Uses

Material uses

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

A red or rose dye can be obtained from the plant[3].

Environment

Range
Most of Europe, including Britain, to the Mediterranean.
Habitat
Bare and cultivated ground, arable fields and waste places throughout Britain, ascending to 350 metres in Scotland[1][2].
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 spring in situ.

Cultivation

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

Succeeds in a sunny position in most soils, and does well in hot dry positions where it frequently self-sows[2]. This species can often become a weed in lawns[4]. Plants often produce both hermaphrodite and either male or female flowers[1].

References

  1. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

  3. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  4. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

    ↩

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