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Useful Temperate Plants

Circaea lutetiana

L.

Onagraceae


Circaea lutetiana is treated here in a wide sense to include the two subspecies Circaea lutetiana subsp. canadensis (L.) Asch. & Magnus and Circaea lutetiana subsp. quadrisulcata (Maxim.) Asch. & Magnus. These two subspecies are sometimes treated as distinct, as Circaea canadensis (L.) Hill and Circaea canadensis subsp. quadrisulcata (Maxim.) Boufford[
1793
Title
Circaea lutetiana sensu lato (Onagraceae) reconsidered
Publication
Harvard Papers in Botany, Vol. 9, No. 2. 2005. pp. 255-256.
Author
Boufford D.E.
Publisher
 
Year
2005
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
If Circaea canadensis becomes accepted as a distinct species, then the reports on medicinal usage from [
257
Title
Native American Ethnobotany
Publication
 
Author
Moerman. D.
Publisher
Timber Press. Oregon.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-88192-453-9
Description
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
], which are listed under the subspecies Circaea lutetiana subsp canadensis, would be transferred to Circaea canadensis.

+ Synonyms

Carlostephania major Bubani

Circaea canadensis (L.) Hill

Circaea maximowiczii viridicalyx H.Hara

Circaea mollis maximowiczii H.Lév.

Circaea quadrisulcata (Maxim.) Franch. & Sav.

Circaea vulgaris Moench

Regmus lutetianus (L.) Dulac

Common Name: Enchanter's Nightshade

No Image.

General Information

Circaea lutetiana is a herbaceous perennial plant growing from a rhizomatous rootstock. It can grow 15 - 150cm tall, spreading by the roots and forming colonies[
17
Title
Flora of the British Isles.
Publication
 
Author
Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
1962
ISBN
-
Description
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
,
266
Title
Flora of China
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
Year
1994
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine..

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

17
Title
Flora of the British Isles.
Publication
 
Author
Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
1962
ISBN
-
Description
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
,
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

Range

Temprate Eurasia - Atlantic Coast to the Pacific, excluding eastern Siberia; N. America - Manitoba to Ontario, to Mississippi, Georgia; N. Africa

Habitat

Woods and shady places on a moist, base-rich soil, throughout Britain to 360 metres[
17
Title
Flora of the British Isles.
Publication
 
Author
Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Year
1962
ISBN
-
Description
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
]. Cool-temperate deciduous forests and mixed deciduous-boreal forests; at elevations from near sea level to around 1,500 metres[
266
Title
Flora of China
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
Publisher
Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis.
Year
1994
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
].

Properties

Medicinal Rating *  *
HabitPerennial
Height0.70 m
PollinatorsDiptera
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details


Prefers a moist soil and a position in partial shade, growing well in woodland conditions[
200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The plant has been used as a treatment on wounds[
257
Title
Native American Ethnobotany
Publication
 
Author
Moerman. D.
Publisher
Timber Press. Oregon.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-88192-453-9
Description
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
]. A compound infusion has been drunk and also used as a wash on injured parts of the body[
257
Title
Native American Ethnobotany
Publication
 
Author
Moerman. D.
Publisher
Timber Press. Oregon.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-88192-453-9
Description
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ if you have sufficient seed. Otherwise sow in pots in light shade in a cold frame, pricking the seedlings out into individual pots once they are large enough to handle. Plant out in the summer or the following spring.
Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Circaea+lutetiana>

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