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Claytonia virginica - L.

Spring Beauty

Author	L.	Botanical references	43, 200, 270
Family	Portulacaceae	Genus	Claytonia
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Eastern N. America - Quebec to Texas. A garden escape, locally naturalized in Britain[17].
Habitat	Rich woods, thickets and clearings[43]. Wetlands, seeps, moist woods, riparian hardwood forests, copses, bluffs, ravines and prairies from sea level to 1000 metres[270].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.15m by 0.2m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Root.

Root - raw or cooked[2, 55, 62, 85, 257]. Rich in starch, it has a pleasant nutty flavour[105, 183]. A radish-like flavour when raw[159], it tastes like a cross between a potato and a chestnut when cooked[183]. The root is rich in vitamins A and C[159]. The globose tuber is up to 20cm in diameter[270]. Leaves and flowering stems - raw or cooked[62]. Added to salads or used as greens[183]. The leaves are often available in the winter.

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antispasmodic; Contraceptive.

A cold infusion or decoction of the powdered roots has been given to children with convulsions[257]. It has been said that eating the raw plants can permanently prevent conception[257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a damp peaty soil and a position in full sun[1, 164]. Another report says that it requires some shade[188]. Requires a lime-free soil[164].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow on a peat based compost in spring in a cold frame. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 4 weeks at 10°c[164]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the cold frame for at least their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer after the last expected frosts. Division of offsets in spring or autumn.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Winter Salads.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[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.

[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.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[55] Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973
Interesting reading.

[62] Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982 ISBN 0442222009
Very readable.

[85] Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9
A superb book. Very readable, it gives the results of the authors experiments with native edible plants.

[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.

[159] McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977 ISBN 0-253-28925-4
A nice pocket guide to this region of America.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[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.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

[270] Flora of N. America 0
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Claytonia virginica

Martha Fri Oct 28 2005

Just a quick note to let you know that this plant is also called "Fairy Spuds". They're also great simmered in olive oil with moral mushrooms, lol!

Claytonia virginica

v sandwick Sat Apr 21 2007

Found Spring Beauty covering my pastures here in oklahoma. I didn't plant the flowers,that came up.They just showed up what a surprise. It's lovely to look at. The flowers cover both of my small pastures. I don't have trees in my pastures but I have a mixture of flowers.

Claytonia virginica

v sandwick Sat Apr 21 2007

Found Spring Beauty covering my pastures here in oklahoma. I didn't plant the flowers that came up.They just showed up what a surprise. It's lovely to look at. The flowers cover both of my small pastures. I don't have trees in my pastures but I have a mixture of flowers.

Claytonia virginica

Benjamin Wed Jul 22 2009

Claytonia Virginica grows rampant here in Northern Wisconsin. Hardy to zone 3 i would say.

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