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Polemonium reptans

Common name:	Abcess Root	Family:	Polemoniaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	43, 200
Synonyms:	Polemonium humile (Salisb.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Eastern N. America - New York to Minnesota, south to Kansas and Georgia.
Habitat:	Rich woods, damp ground and along shady river banks[4, 43].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	P. fasciculatum[B,P] P. lindleyi[B,P] P. pulcherrimum ssp. lindleyi[B,P] P. pulcherrimum var. lindleyi[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Abscess Root [H,E], American Greek Valerian [H], Blue Bells [H], Creeping Jacob's Ladder [H], False Jacob'S Ladder [E], False Jacob's Ladder [H], Greek Valerian [P], Greek-valerian [B], Lindley's Polemonium [P], Onechte Jacobsladder [E], Polemonie Fausse [E], Sweatroot [H], Unechter Jacobsleiter [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	reptans = creeping
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Solanales. Phlox family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Britain France Germany Netherlands Us

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.3m by 0.35m . It is hardy to zone 4. It is in flower from April to May. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. 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, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Alterative Astringent Diaphoretic Expectorant Pectoral.

The dried roots have a slightly bitter and acrid taste[4]. They are alterative, astringent, diaphoretic, expectorant and pectoral[4, 61, 222, 238]. They can be used in an infusion with water or as a tincture with alcohol[4]. They are used internally in the treatment of coughs, colds, bronchitis, laryngitis, tuberculosis, feverish and inflammatory diseases, including skin conditions and poisonous bites[238]. The root is rarely used in modern herbalism[238]. It is harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[238].

Other Uses

Hair.

A decoction of the whole plant is used as a hair rinse[213].

Cultivation details

Prefers a moist well-drained fertile soil in sun or semi-shade[200]. Plants are best grown in a soil approaching that of a moraine and they must not be allowed to dry out in the summer[1].
Plants are hardy to about -20° c[187].
A number of named varieties have been selected for their ornamental value[187].
Plants have a creeping root and can multiply very quickly[4]. They can also self-sow to the point of nuisance[200].
The plants have a smell that attracts cats. The cats roll in the plants with evident pleasure and can cause considerable damage to young plants and ones that have recently been moved[238, K].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame[14]. 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 early spring or early autumn[111]. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

Cultivars

'': There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Suppliers

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

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[V] Images from the Vascular Plant Image Gallery of the Texas A& M Bioinformatics Working Group.
[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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Polemonium pulcherrimum ssp. lindleyi (a possible synonym).

[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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for the family Polemoniaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from 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]).

[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.

[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

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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