Menu list goes here

Herbal Database Search Results

Back to: Pathways Main Search Page For Metaphysical uses visit The Witchs Haven

Dudleya edulis

Common name:	Mission Lettuce	Family:	Crassulaceae
Author:	(Nutt.)Moran.	Botanical references:	71, 200
Synonyms:	Stylophyllum edulis (Britton.&Rose.), Echeveria edulis ((Nutt.)A.Berger.), Cotyledon edulis ((Nutt.)Brewer.&Watson.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-western N. America - S. California.
Habitat:	Rocky hillsides below 1,000 metres[71]. High elevations in the Sonoran Desert[200].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Stylophyllum edule[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Fingertips [B,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	edulis = edible;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Rosales. Stonecrop family

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen perennial growing to 0.5m. It is hardy to zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower from June to July. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Leaves; Stem.

Leaves - raw. Fleshy[183]. They are considered to be a delicacy[183].
Stems - slightly sweet and refreshing to chew, though they leave a chalky taste in the mouth[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a very sunny position in a well-drained soil[200]. Plants enter a semi-dormant state in late summer and they should be kept fairly dry at this time[200].
There must be some doubt over the hardiness of this species. One report says that it is hardy to zone 8 which suggests that it should tolerate occasional cold periods down to between -5 and -10°c, but the report also says that the plants should be protected from frost, with a winter temperatures no lower than 7°c[200].

Propagation

Seed - we have no details for this species but suggest sowing the seed in spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cuttings of side shoots in the summer. Dry the stem for 24 hours before planting in a very sandy soil mix[200]. The main stem can also be used, the parent plant will then produce new plantlets at the cut edge[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.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Echeveria edulis (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for the family Crassulaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

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

References

[71] Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959
An excellent flora but no pictures. Not for the casual reader.

[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.

[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.

Readers Comments

Back to: Pathways Home page, Main Search Page Help Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Dudleya+edulis
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Dudleya+edulis

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
(You can copy, distribute, display this works but: Attribution is required, its for Non-Commercial purposes, and it's Share Alike (GNUish/copyleft) i.e. has an identical license.)
We also ask that you let us know (michael@thewitchshaven.com) if you link to, redistribute, make a derived work or do anything groovy with this information.

Home :: View Cart :: Shipping & Returns :: Contact Us :: Log In :: Privacy Policy :: Home :: Philosophy

We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.