Common Name: Scootberry

General Information

Streptopus lanceolatus is an erect, herbaceous perennial plant producing a cluster of usually unbranched stems from a slender, creeping rhizome; it usually grows 15 - 40cm tall, occasionally to 80cm[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is grown as an ornamental in gardens.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

N. America - British Columbia to Oregon; Manitoba to Quebec and Newfoundland, south to southern Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and the Appalachians

Habitat

Rich moist coniferous and deciduous woods; at elevations from 50 - 2,000 metres[]. Moist woods, river banks, alder thickets[].

Properties

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

Cultivation Details

Streptopus lanceolatus is cold-hardy to at least -20°c.
Requires a cool leafy soil in shade or partial shade[]. Thrives in a moist light soil containing organic matter[].
A very ornamental plant[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves and shoots are added to salads to impart a cucumber flavour[]. They can also be cooked and used as greens[, ].

Fruit - raw or cooked. A sweetish flavour[], though it is said to be cathartic if eaten in quantity[, ], especially if you have not eaten this fruit before[]. A watermelon flavour[]. The reddish purple to red, subglobose fruit is about 6 - 12mm in diameter[, ].

Medicinal

The fruit is cathartic[, ].

An infusion of the roots has been used in the treatment of a fallen womb[]. A cough syrup can be made from the root[].
A poultice of the steeped root has been applied to the eyes in the treatment of sties[].

The flowers are diaphoretic[]. They can be used to induce sweating in the treatment of colds and fevers.

The plant is tonic[]. An infusion of the plant has been used in the treatment of coughs[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the summer[]. Sow stored seed in a cold frame as soon as it is received. The seed, especially if it has been stored, can be very slow to germinate, sometimes taking 18 months or more. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a shady part of the greenhouse or cold frame. It will normally take 2 or more growing seasons before the roots are large enough to plant out - this is best done when the plant is dormant in the autumn.
Division as the plant comes into growth in early spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first year, planting them out in the following spring.