Butomus umbellatus - Flowering Rush

Family:	Butomaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	1
Width:	0.5
Synonyms:
Range:	Most of Europe, including Britain, and temperate Asia.

Butomus umbellatus (Flowering Rush) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 1m and a width of 0.5m . It has a hardness rating of 5.
Flowering Rush will flower in January to March. the seeds ripen from February to March
The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by Bees, flies, lepidoptera

Soil Information

Flowering Rush 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
Flowering Rush prefers soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Flowering Rush should not be planted in shady areas.

Pond margins, ditches and canals, avoiding shade[13, 17].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Is a pond plant
• A bog garden plant

Cultivation Details

Requires a sunny position[200]. A plant of wet habitats, it succeeds in wet soils and in water up to 30cm deep[24, 56]. A very ornamental plant[2]. The flowers have a scent of bitter almonds[245].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 3/5
Tuber - cooked[5, 46, 61, 100, 177]. It should be peeled and the rootlets removed[179]. The root can also be dried and ground into a powder[179], it can then be used as a thickener in soups etc, or be added to cereal flours when making bread[2]. It contains more than 50% starch[13]. Seed[1, 2, 5, 177]. No more details are given, but the seed is very small and fiddly to use[K].

• Root - includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
• Seed - includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 0/5
None known

Propagation

Seed - best surface-sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe, it usually germinates in the spring. The seed quickly loses its vitality if it is not kept moist[200]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a tray of water in the cold frame, planting them out into their permanent positions in early summer. Division in spring[188]. Very easy, larger clumps can be planted direct into their permanent positions. It is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are well rooted before planting them out in the summer.

Scented parts of the plants

Flowers : Fresh

Known Hazards

None known

Other Uses

None known

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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