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Kosteletzkya pentacarpos
| Common name: |
|
Family: |
Malvaceae |
| Author: |
(L.)Ledeb. |
Botanical references: |
74, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Europe - Italy to the Caspian sea. |
| Habitat: |
Seaside bogs of the Caspian littoral, along the west and south coasts[74]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
4 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 0 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Hibiscus pentacarpos[G]
K. pentacarpa[G]
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Malvales. Mallow family
|
Physical Characteristics
Perennial growing to 1m. It is hardy to zone 7. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs).
We rate it 4/5 for edibility and
0/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils.
The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Cultivated Beds.Edible Uses
Egg
Flowers Leaves Root Tea.
Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 4, 100]. They are used as a potherb or to
thicken soups[62, 183]. The leaves can be eaten raw but are rather fibrous
and somewhat hairy, though the taste is pleasant[K].
Flowers - raw. Added to salads[61].
The following uses are recorded for Althaea officinalis, they are said to
also apply to this species[61]:-
Root - raw or cooked[61]. When boiled and then fried with onions it is said
to make a palatable dish that is often used in times of shortage[4]. The root
is used as a vegetable[62, 141, 183], it is also dried then ground into a
powder, made into a paste and roasted to make the sweet 'marshmallow'[4, 5,
7, 17, 61].
The water left over from cooking any part of the plant can be used as an
egg-white substitute in making meringues etc[62]. The water from the root is
the most effective[183], it is concentrated by boiling until it has a similar
consistency to egg white.
A tea is made from the flowers[183]. A tea can also be made from the
root[183].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
None known
Other Uses
Adhesive
Fibre Oil.
A strong fibre is obtained from the stems. It is used for making
string, nets etc[74].
The following uses are recorded for Althaea officinalis, they are said to
also apply to this species[61]:-
A glue can be made from the root[74].
An oil from the seed is used in making paints and varnishes[74].
Cultivation details
Prefers a deep rich moist sandy soil in a warm sunny position[1, 200].
Plants are hardy to at least -15° c[200].
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.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
References for Kosteletzkya pentacarpa (a possible synonym).
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
References for the family Malvaceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[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]).
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[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.
[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.
[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
[141] Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading 1986 ISBN 0704909820
Some suggested alternative commercial crops for Britain. Readable. Produced by a University study group.
[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
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Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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