Practical
Plants

Trapa bicornis

Ling

a perennial member of the Trapa genus in the family Trapaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Trapaceae
Genus
Trapa
Life cycle
perennial
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.

The raw seed contains toxins but that these are destroyed in the cooking process[1][2].

Edible uses

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

Seed - cooked. A crunchy texture with a bland flavour[2]. Rich in starch, the raw seed contains a deleterious principle that is destroyed by cooking[1]. The cooked seed can be dried and ground into a powder[1].

Plant part
Seed

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 flowers are astringent in fluxes[3]. The fruit is used in the treatment of fever and sunstroke[3]. The plant is anticancer, antipyretic and tonic[3].

Product or use
Antipyretic
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Cancer
Product or use
Tonic

Environment

Range
E. Asia - China.
Habitat
Not known
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
aquatic
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - harvest in late summer and store overwinter in a jar of water in a cold but frost-free place. The seed quickly loses its vitality if it is allowed to become dry. Sow in spring, placing one seed in each pot and submerging them under a few centimetres of water.

Cultivation

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

An aquatic plant, floating by means of inflated petioles, it succeeds in still or slowly-flowing water requiring a position in full sun and a slightly acidic water with a rich planting medium[1]. Plants require a high summer temperature in order to perform well, they are not frost hardy[2]. Some botanists regard this species as no more than a part of the one highly polymorphic species T. natans[1]. This species was used for food in Neolithic Britain[1].

References

  1. 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

  2. Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4

    ↩1↩2↩3

  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

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