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Common Name: Bluebeard

General Information

Clintonia borealis is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.30 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

The fruit is mildly toxic to humans, though it only causes mild gastric upsets[].

Botanical References

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Range

North-eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Manitoba, south to N. Carolina and Wisconsin..

Habitat

Rich woodlands, deep thickets, higher elevations in cool moist sites[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a damp peaty sandy soil in a cool damp shady position[, , ]. Requires a moist neutral to acid soil[].
The dormant plant is hardy to at least -25°c, but new growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts[].
Plants only produce their fruit in warm seasons in Britain[]. They have creeping underground stems and form dense colonies[].
This species is closely related to C. andrewsiana[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked[, , ]. Harvested in spring before they fully unfurl[], they have a slightly sweetish cucumber flavour[, ]. Older leaves can be used as a potherb[].

Medicinal

The leaves are cardiac and disinfectant[]. A poultice has been applied to open wounds, burns, ulcers, scrofulous sores and infections[].

Other Uses

The crushed leaves have been rubbed on the face and hands as a protection from mosquitoes[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the spring[]. Stored seed should be sown in late winter or early spring in a cold frame[]. It sometimes germinates within 1 - 3 months at 15°c, but may take a year. The seed should be completely separated from the fruit and should only just be covered by soil[, ]. If the seed has been sown thinly enough, then it is possible to leave the seedlings in the pot for their first growing season, dividing them after they become dormant. Make sure to give them liquid feeds at intervals through the spring and summer. Otherwise prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. Plant out in late spring or early summer at the beginning of their second or third years growth.
Division in spring as new growth is just commencing[].