Actaea spicata - Herb Christopher

Family:	Ranunculaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.5
Width:	0.5
Synonyms:
Range:	Most of Europe, including Britain, through temperate and arctic Asia to China.

Actaea spicata (Herb Christopher) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.5m and a width of 0.5m . It has a hardness rating of 5.
Herb Christopher will flower in November to December. the seeds ripen from January to February
The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by Beetles, flies

Soil Information

Herb Christopher will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is not necessary for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
- pH greater than 8, Basic soils
Herb Christopher prefers moist soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Herb Christopher can grow in full or semi shaded areas.

Ash woods on limestone and in damp stony woods to 1500m[13, 17].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Grows within a woodland garden
• Works within dappled Shade
• Is suited to a deeply shaded location

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in most conditions[233], but prefers a humus-rich moist soil in light shade doing well amongst shrubs and in light woods[1, 200]. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[54].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 0/5
None known

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 1/5
The root is antispasmodic, cytostatic, emetic, nervine and purgative[4, 17, 65, 240]. In Canada the root is used in the treatment of snakebite[211]. It is also considered useful in the treatment of nervous disorders and rheumatic fever[211]. In India it is used in the treatment of rheumatism, goitre and asthma[240]. This remedy should be used with some caution, see the notes above on toxicity.

• Antidote - Counters poisoning.
• Antispasmodic - Relaxes muscular spasms and cramps, calming nervous irritation.
• Cytostatic - Slows or controls the growth of tumours.
• Nervine - Stimulates and calms the nerves.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame or outdoors in a moist shaded seedbed[200]. The seed has a limited viability[200], it can also be sown in spring in a cold frame but germination rates may be poor. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer of the following year. Division in March or October.

Known Hazards

All parts of plant are poisonous but rarely fatal[4, 10, 13, 19, 65, 76].

Other Uses

The smell of the plant is reputed to drive away vermin[4]. A black dye is obtained from the berries when alum is used as a mordant[4, 13, 74, 100]. The seeds contain tannin[240].

• Dye - Plants that provide dyes.
• Repellent - Plants that are said to deter but not necessarily kill various mammals, birds, insects etc.

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

Flora of the British Isles.
Clapham, Tootin and Warburg.
Author: Clapham, Tootin and Warburg.
Rating:
Publisher : A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
Date of Publication : 1962

The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Huxley. A.
Author: Huxley. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Date of Publication : 1992

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