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Limnanthes alba

Common name:	Meadowfoam	Family:	Limnanthaceae
Author:	Hartw. ex Benth.	Botanical references:	1, 71
Synonyms:	Lilium douglasii alba
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	South-western N. America - California.
Habitat:	Vernal pools or low moist open places from sea level to 1200 metres[71]. The sub-species L. alba versicolor(Greene.)C.T.Mason. grows at elevations up to 1600 metres[71].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Limnanthus alba[DUTCH]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Donzige Moerasbloem [D], White Meadowfoam [P,B],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	alba = white
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Geraniales. Meadow-Foam family

Physical Characteristics

Annual growing to 0.2m. . It is in flower from May to June. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. It is noted for attracting wildlife. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. 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

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Oil.

An oil obtained from the seed has similar properties to whale sperm oil and to Jojoba (Simmondsia chinensis). It has specialized industrial applications[141]. The seed contains ca 20% protein, 25 - 30% oil, with 1.56% volatile isothiocyanates. The high concentration of C20 and fatty acids in the seed oil is unique. No other seed oil is known to have as high concentration (> 90%) of total fatty acids of chain length greater than C18[269].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in any soil[1]. Prefers an open sunny position and a cool root run, doing well by concrete paths, rocks etc. Ranging from Warm Temperate Moist through Subtropical Dry to Moist Forest Life Zones, white foam, or cvs thereof, is reported to tolerate annual precipitation of 70 to 11 m, an annual temperature of 12 to 19° C, and pH of 5.6 to 6[269]. This species is essentially a xerophyte, flowering and setting seed on the last seasonal soil and stem moisture. It has about the same water requirement as dry-farmed winter grains, and seems to require less moisture than other species of this genus. Does well on soils with pH 6.2, especially on slopes and in cultivated fields[269].
The seed contains about 24 - 30% of an oil that is potentially a good replacement for sperm whale oil. This species is being trialled as a possible commercial oil seed crop[269]. The sub-species L. alba versicolor has slightly higher oil yields, around 31%[269]. Experimentally, yields of 1 tonne of seed per hectare has been obtained, though these yields would need to be doubled to make the plant a commercial prospect[269]. Some new cultivars have been developed with better seed retention and higher oil yields[269].
A very good bee and hoverfly plant.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ. Germination takes place within 3 weeks. Germination is better at lower temperatures - good results are achieved at about 5° C, whilst temperatures in excess of 20° C give poor results[269].

Cultivars

'703A': Yields as well as 'Foamore', but exhibits better seed retention[269].
'Foamore': Higher yielding that the species[269].

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.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
Images from the CalPhoto database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HEC] Use, Folk Medicine, etc. from Handbook of Energy Crops by James Duke
[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]).

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

[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.

[269] Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of plants.

Readers Comments

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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
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?Limnanthes+alba
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Limnanthes+alba

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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.