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Morina longifolia

Common name:	Whorlflower	Family:	Morinaceae
Author:	Wall.	Botanical references:	51, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	E. Asia - Himalayas - Kashmir to Bhutan.
Habitat:	Open slopes and alpine shrubberies, 3000 - 4000 metres[51].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Nepalese Whorlflower [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	longifolia = long leaved;

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 6. It is in leaf all year, in flower from June to July. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Moths. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 2/5 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 can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Digestive; Emetic; Stomachic.

The stem, leaves and flowers are used in Tibetan medicine, they are said to have a sweet and astringent taste with a heating potency[241]. They are digestive, emetic and stomachic, and are used in the treatment of stomach disorders such as indigestion giving rise to vomiting and nausea[241].

Other Uses

Essential; Incense.

The plant is used as an incense[145, 240, 272]. The roots yield 0.34% essential oil[240].

Cultivation details

Requires a fertile, humus-rich, moisture retentive but well-drained sandy or gritty soil in a sunny position[1, 111, 200]. It grows best with a little shade and shelter from high winds[1]. Prefers a slightly acid soil[175].
A very ornamental plant[1], the leaves are spicily aromatic[187]. A fairly easy plant to grow, though it tends to be short-lived[187]. It is hardy to about -17°c when growing in a perfectly drained soil[187, 200]. It grows best in the western side of Britain, sometimes succumbing to cold in the south-east of the country[233].
Requires protection from slugs[K].
The flowers open in the evening and are pollinated by moths. If pollination does not take place by morning then the top of the pistil curves over and effects self-pollination[211].
Resents root disturbance[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in individual pots to minimize disturbance to the tap root. Overwinter in a well ventilated cold frame[200]. Sow stored seed in early spring in a cold frame[111]. Plant out into their permanent positions in the summer when the plants are at least 15cm tall.
Division in spring is possible but very difficult. Divided plants are often extremely slow to re-establish[200]. It is best carried out immediately after the plant flowers[188].
Root cuttings in individual pots in November. Plants are quick to produce foliage but slow to form roots. They are best left in pots for 12 months before planting out[175].

Scent

Leaves: Crushed: The leaves are spicily aromatic.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Morinaceae.

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

[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]).

[51] Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984
A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[145] Singh. Dr. G. and Kachroo. Prof. Dr. P. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh 1976
A good flora of the western Himalayas but poorly illustrated. Some information on plant uses.

[175] Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Corydalis spp.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[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.

[211] Coventry. B. O. Wild Flowers of Kashmir Raithby, Lawrence and Co. 1923
A nice little pocket guide to 50 wildflowers of Kashmir. This is part one of three, we have not seen the other two volumes

[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.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[241] Tsarong. Tsewang. J. Tibetan Medicinal Plants Tibetan Medical Publications, India 1994 ISBN 81-900489-0-2
A nice little pocket guide to the subject with photographs of 95 species and brief comments on their uses.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

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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
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