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Clintonia borealis

Common name:	Bluebeard	Family:	Convallariaceae
Author:	(Aiton.)Raf.	Botanical references:	43, 200
Synonyms:	Smilacena borealis ((Aiton.) Raf.), Dracaena borealis (Aiton.)
Known Hazards:	None known
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[43, 62].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Yellow Bluebead-lily [B], Yellow Bluebeadlily [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	borealis = Northern;

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.3m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 3 and is frost tender. It is in flower in May. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

Young leaves - raw or cooked[61, 105, 177]. Harvested in spring before they fully unfurl[62], they have a slightly sweetish cucumber flavour[55, 183]. Older leaves can be used as a potherb[55].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Cardiac; Disinfectant; Poultice.

The leaves are cardiac and disinfectant[257]. A poultice has been applied to open wounds, burns, ulcers, scrofulous sores and infections[257].

Other Uses

Repellent.

The crushed leaves have been rubbed on the face and hands as a protection from mosquitoes[257].

Cultivation details

Prefers a damp peaty sandy soil in a cool damp shady position[1, 42, 200]. Requires a moist neutral to acid soil[200].
The dormant plant is hardy to at least -25°c, but new growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts[187].
Plants only produce their fruit in warm seasons in Britain[200]. They have creeping underground stems and form dense colonies[187].
This species is closely related to C. andrewsiana[188].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, it usually germinates in the spring[200]. Stored seed should be sown in late winter or early spring in a cold frame[164]. 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[164, 200]. 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[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[42] Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[55] Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973
Interesting reading.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[62] Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982 ISBN 0442222009
Very readable.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

Clintonia borealis

Kelley Rambo (kestrel@uninets.net) Thu, 17 Dec 1998 20:17:19

Just curious about your entry on Clintonia (plant of the northeast US). I have found that here we call it bluebead, not bluebeard. I'm not sure if it's a typo-error or just a difference in translation. But thought I'd bring it to your attention. Looks like a nice page full of great info.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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