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Streptopus amplexifolius - (L.)DC.

Wild Cucumber

Author	(L.)DC.	Botanical references	43, 50, 200
Family	Convallariaceae	Genus	Streptopus
Synonyms	Uvularia amplexifolia - L.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Europe to E. Asia and N. America - Alaska to North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan and New Mexico.
Habitat	Wet sub-alpine woods[50, 187]. Moist woods and thickets[43, 50]. Rich moist coniferous and deciduous woods at elevations of 0 - 2800 metres in America[270].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	2 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1m by 0.3m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Deep Shade;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Fruit; Leaves; Root.

Fruit - raw or cooked in soups and stews[105, 161, 172]. Juicy with a cucumber flavour[183], they are reported to be slightly cathartic when growing in certain areas only[183]. The fruit is laxative if eaten in large quantities according to another report[172]. The oval berry is up to 15mm long[235]. Tender young shoots - raw in salads or cooked like asparagus[177, 183, 257]. A cucumber-like flavour[172, 183]. Root - raw. It is sometimes used in salads for its cucumber flavour[105, 177, 183].

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.

Analgesic; Appetizer; Cathartic; Haemostatic; Kidney; Oxytoxic; Stomachic; VD.

The fruit is cathartic[172, 207]. An infusion of the stems and fruit has been used to treat 'sickness in general'[257]. The plant is tonic[257]. An infusion of the whole plant has been used to treat stomach complaints and loss of appetite[257]. A compound infusion of the plant has been used in the treatment of spitting up of blood, kidney problems and gonorrhoea[257]. The root has been chewed in order to induce labour in cases of protracted delay[257]. A compound infusion of the root has been used as an analgesic in the treatment of internal pain[257].

Other Uses

Incense.

The plant has been tied to the clothes, body or hair and used as a scent[257].

Cultivation details

Requires a cool leafy soil in shade or partial shade[187]. Thrives in a moist light soil containing organic matter[1]. Hardy to at least -20°c. A polymorphic species, there are many sub-species[43].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the summer[200]. Sow stored seed in a cold frame as soon as it is received. The seed, especially if it has been stored, can be very slow to germinate, sometimes taking 18 months or more. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a shady part of the greenhouse or cold frame. It will normally take 2 or more growing seasons before the roots are large enough to plant out - this is best done when the plant is dormant in the autumn. Division as the plant comes into growth in early spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first year, planting them out in the following spring.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Why Perennials, Woodland Garden Plants.

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]).

[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.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[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.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture. 0
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[172] Schofield. J. J. Discovering Wild Plants - Alaska, W. Canada and the Northwest. 0
A nice guide to some useful plants in that area.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[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.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[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.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[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.

Streptopus amplexifolius

kevin w chubb Fri Jun 1 2007

Streptopus amplexifolius - does anyone know of a supplier of wild cucumber in uk or does anyone grow it many thanks kevin w chubb inroads 43 lower cathedral rd riverside cardiff cf11 6lw 029 20 40 7 40 7

Woodland Garden Plants

Madronna Sun Jun 28 2009

Just a caution to users of your great website about common names. On the US West Coast what we call the "wild cucumber" or "manroot" looks just like a cucumber in both leaves and fruits but is entirely toxic. The latter is marah macrocarpus--and no one should confuse it with the streptopus amplexifolius you describe as "wild cucumber". The latter is a native of the Pacific Northwest we locals call "twisted stalk", which looks nothing at all like a cucumber.

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