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Common Name: Grass Of Parnassus

General Information

Parnassia palustris is a Evergreen Perennial up to 0.30 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine..

Known Hazards

Poisonous[].

Botanical References

,

Range

Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to Spain, Greece and temperate Asia.

Habitat

Wet moorland, marshes and raised bogs to quite a high altitude[, ].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Beetles, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in moist peaty soils or in spongy bogs[]. Requires an alkaline soil[].
Plants can be naturalized in marshy grass[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The whole plant is astringent, slightly diuretic, sedative, tonic and vulnerary[, ]. A decoction is occasionally used as a mouthwash in the treatment of stomatitis[]. The dried and powdered plant can be sprinkled onto wounds to aid the healing process[]. The plant is harvested in the summer or autumn and can be dried for later use[].
A distilled water made from the plant is an excellent astringent eye lotion[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow as soon as it is ripe in late autumn in a cold frame in pots of soil that are standing in shallow water. 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.