Common Name: Catchfly

General Information

Silene firma is an annual to biennial plant with an erect stem that can be unbranched or sparsely branched; it can grow 50 - 100cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - Russian Far East, China, Japan, Korea

Habitat

Pebbly river banks, sandy and pebbly shores and shrub thickets[]. Mountain grassland and scrub throughout China; at elevations from 300 - 2,500 metres[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual/Biennial
Height	0.90 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Species in this genus generally grow well in a sunny position in a well-drained but moisture-retentive fertile soil[].

Edible Uses

Young plant - cooked[, ].

Medicinal

The leaves and stems contain several medically active constituents including saponins and flavonoids[]. They have been shown to promote the production of drug-metabolizing enzymes in the liver[].

The plant is said to be contraceptive, emmenagogue and galactogogue[]. It is used in Korea in the treatment of gonorrhoea, to stimulate the milk and the menstrual flow, and also as a contraceptive[].

Other Uses

An extract of the branches, fruits and leaves is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ. It is quite likely that an early autumn sowing will overwinter successfully to produce a larger plant in the spring and summer[].