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Trapa bicornis

Common name:	Ling	Family:	Trapaceae
Author:	Osbeck.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Trapa bicornuta (Hort.)
Known Hazards:	The raw seed contains toxins but that these are destroyed in the cooking process[200, 206].
Range:	E. Asia - China.
Habitat:	Not known
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Horn Nut [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	bicornis = 2 horned rapa = turnip (like)
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Myrtales. Water Chestnut family
Noxious, Invasive and Injurious Weeds	From USDA PLANTS database, Weeds Australia , DEFRA Injurious Weeds
	Listed as noxious/invasive for: Florida, North Carolina, Western Australia, Queensland.

Physical Characteristics

Perennial. It is hardy to zone 5 and is frost tender. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 4/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

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

Habitats and Possible Locations

Pond.

Edible Uses

Seed.

Seed - cooked. A crunchy texture with a bland flavour[206]. Rich in starch, the raw seed contains a deleterious principle that is destroyed by cooking[200]. The cooked seed can be dried and ground into a powder[200].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antipyretic Astringent Cancer Tonic.

The flowers are astringent in fluxes[218].
The fruit is used in the treatment of fever and sunstroke[218].
The plant is anticancer, antipyretic and tonic[218].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

An aquatic plant, floating by means of inflated petioles, it succeeds in still or slowly-flowing water requiring a position in full sun and a slightly acidic water with a rich planting medium[200].
Plants require a high summer temperature in order to perform well, they are not frost hardy[206].
Some botanists regard this species as no more than a part of the one highly polymorphic species T. natans[200].
This species was used for food in Neolithic Britain[200].

Propagation

Seed - harvest in late summer and store overwinter in a jar of water in a cold but frost-free place. The seed quickly loses its vitality if it is allowed to become dry. Sow in spring, placing one seed in each pot and submerging them under a few centimetres of water.

Suppliers

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

Web References

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Trapaceae.

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.

[206] Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4
Well written and very informative.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

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

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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.