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Ludwigia palustris

Common name:	Water Purslane	Family:	Onagraceae
Author:	(L.)Elliot.	Botanical references:	200, 274
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Europe. Asia. N. America - Nova Scotia to Manitoba, south to Florida and California.
Habitat:	Shallow water or wet soils[200].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Isnardia palustris[B,G,P] L. palustris var. americana[B,P] L. palustris var. nana[B,P] L. palustris var. pacifica[B,P] Ludvigia palustris[L]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Marsh Primrose-willow [B], Marsh Seedbox [P], Water Purslane [L], Waterlepeltje [D],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	palustris = in bogs;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Myrtales. Evening Primrose family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.5m. It is hardy to zone 3. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires wet soil and can grow in water.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Pond, Bog Garden.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiasthmatic; Pectoral.

Used in the treatment of phthisis (pulmonary tuberculosis), asthma and chronic coughs[207].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

A plant of shallow water or boggy land, it requires a fertile soil in a warm sunny position[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse at a temperature between 15 - 20°c. Immerse the pot so that it is 2 - 5cm below water level[200]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in containers of water in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.
Division in spring[200].
Softwood cuttings in a frame in spring[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.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[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 Ludvigia palustris (a possible synonym).

References for the family Onagraceae.

To be included in 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

[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.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

Readers Comments

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

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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.