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Common Name:

General Information

Stellaria jamesiana 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.

Known Hazards

Although no mention has been seen for this species, the leaves of some members of this genus contain saponins.
Although poisonous, saponins also have a range of medicinal applications and many saponin-rich plants are used in herbalism (particularly as emetics, expectorants and febrifuges) or as sources of raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry. Saponins are also found in a number of common foods, such as many beans.
Saponins have a quite bitter flavour and are in general poorly absorbed by the human body, so most pass through without harm. They can be removed by carefully leaching in running water. Thorough cooking, and perhaps changing the cooking water once, will also normally remove most of them. However, it is not advisable to eat large quantities of raw foods that contain saponins.
Saponins are much more toxic to many cold-blooded creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish and make them easy to catch[].

Botanical References

Range

Western N. America.

Habitat

Moist woodland amongst shrubs, westwards from Wyoming and Texas[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.50 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy outdoors in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors at least in the milder parts of the country.
Prefers a moist loamy site[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked.
Root - raw or cooked. Sweet and pleasant[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring 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.