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Umbilicus rupestris

Common name:	Pennywort	Family:	Crassulaceae
Author:	(Salisb.)Dandy.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:	Umbilicus pendulinus (DC.), Cotyledon umbilicus-veneris (L.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Europe, from Britain and France south and east to N. Africa and the Mediterraean.
Habitat:	Crevices of rocks and walls, especially in acid and damp conditions[17, 53]. Avoids alkaline soils[200].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Navelwort [H], Ombligo De Venus [E], Pennywort [H], Yergobegi [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	rupestris = found near rocks;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Rosales. Stonecrop family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Spain; Turkey

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen perennial growing to 0.3m. It is hardy to zone 7 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects? Self. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 1/5 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

Cultivated Beds, In Walls, In North Wall, In South Wall, In East Wall, In West Wall.

Edible Uses

Leaves.

Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 105, K]. A very acceptable mild flavour in the winter and early spring, they can be used in quantity in salads at this time[K]. The leaves become rather stronger-tasting in the summer and are not so pleasant then[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Analgesic; Diuretic; Poultice.

The leaves are mildly analgesic[7]. The juice and extract of the plant have an old reputation for the treatment of epilepsy[4]. The leaves are also made into a poultice and used in the treatment of piles, slight burns and scalds[4, 7]. A decoction of the leaves is considered to be cooling and diuretic and the juice taken inwardly is said to be excellent for treating inflammations of the liver and spleen[4].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, succeeding in any near neutral, gritty, moisture retentive but well-drained soil in sun or light shade[200]. Plants are often found growing on walls, even succeeding on old brick and mortar walls[K]
Plants are hardy to about -15°c[200].
A very attractive plant for the rock garden[53], the leaves often stay green all winter[4].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer.
Division in spring. Very easy, pant them straight out into their permanent positions.
Leaf cuttings[200].

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
[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 Umbilicus pendulinus (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for the family Crassulaceae.

[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.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[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.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[53] De. Bray. L. The Wild Garden.
Interesting reading.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[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.

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

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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.