Oenanthe sarmentosa - Water Dropwort

Family:	Umbelliferae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	1
Synonyms:
Range:	Western N. America - British Columbia to California.

Oenanthe sarmentosa (Water Dropwort) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 1m . It has a hardness rating of 0.
Water Dropwort will flower in December to February. The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by Insects

Soil Information

Water Dropwort 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
Water Dropwort prefers soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Water Dropwort should not be planted in shady areas.

Low wet places[60].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• A bog garden plant

Cultivation Details

Requires a moist or wet fertile soil in a sunny position. Plants have a weak straggling growth habit[60].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 3/5
Root - cooked[2, 105]. A sweet farinaceous flesh, the root is highly esteemed in the areas where it is eaten[46, 161, 183]. A cream-like taste when boiled with a slight parsley flavour[183]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. Young stem - raw or cooked[118, 257].

• Root - includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
• Stem - this often intergrades into leaves.

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 1/5
The roots are emetic and purgative[257]. The roots have been crushed then swallowed by a pregnant woman in order to facilitate and speed up delivery[257].

• Emetic - Induces vomiting.
• Purgative - A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division in spring or autumn. Large 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.

Known Hazards

Although no specific mention of toxicity has been seen for this species, it belongs to a genus that contains a number of very poisonous plants and so some caution is advised. It is said to contain the alleged 'psychotroph' myristicine[218].

Other Uses

Whistles can be made from the hollow stems[118, 257].

• Musical - Specific mention of plants used as musical instruments. Does not include the various woods that can be used for making musical instruments.

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest.
Hitchcock. C. L.
Author: Hitchcock. C. L.
Rating:
Publisher : A standard flora for Western N. America with lots of information on habitat etc. Five large volumes, it is not for the casual reader.
Date of Publication : 1955

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