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Gunnera perpensa

Common name:		Family:	Gunneraceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	1
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. Africa.
Habitat:	Marshes, from Ceres to Paarl, Peninsula to Port Elizabeth.
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Haloragales. Gunnera family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Africa Lesotho S Africa

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.45m. . It is in flower in August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Bog Garden.

Edible Uses

Leaves Stem.

Leaves - chewed or cooked[177].
Leaf stem - raw[177].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a damp humus rich soil in a sunny position or semi-shade[1, 200].
The top part of the inflorescence is male, the bottom is female and the middle is hermaphrodite[200].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a sandy mix in a cold frame[200]. The seed can also be sown in the spring[188]. 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.
Division as new growth commences in the spring[200]. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany 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]).

[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.

[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.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

Readers Comments

Gunnera perpensa

e hammond (ehammond@silverlink.net) Sat May 10 02:17:07 2003

This gunnera is a wonderful and showy part of any moist garden. A great sub for the more aggresive Petasites.

Link: heronswood.com

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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
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