The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.

Common Name: Pacific Silverweed

General Information

Potentilla egedei is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.50 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia. Western N. America - Alaska to California..

Habitat

Coastal dunes, beaches, sand flats, marsh edges and streambanks, occasionally inland, from Alaska to California[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Easily grown in a well-drained loam, preferring a position in full sun but tolerating shade[]. Prefers an alkaline soil but tolerates a slightly acid soil[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[].
This species is closely related to P. anserina[, ].

Edible Uses

Root - raw or cooked[, , ]. The raw root has a bitter flavour but most of the bitterness is lost once the root is cooked and the flavour then becomes somewhat like a sweet potato[]. The roots are rather thin but were a staple food of some North American Indian tribes[].

Medicinal

The whole plant is astringent[].
A poultice of the boiled roots and oil can be applied to sores and swellings[].
The juice from the roots has been used as a wash for sore eyes[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring or autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.