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Habitats
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Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;
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Edible Uses
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Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves; Nectar.
Edible Uses:
The leaves, stems and tops are boiled, steeped in water and eaten as a potherb[105, 177, 179, 183]. Young plants are also eaten[183]. One report says that they contain saponins but that the leaves are apparently not toxic[179]. Probably this is because the content of saponins is too low to be harmful[K]. Children suck the flowers for their sweet edible nectar[105, 177, 183].
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Medicinal Uses
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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.
Abortifacient; Antibacterial; Astringent; Contraceptive; Diuretic; Emmenagogue; Febrifuge; Haemostatic; Ophthalmic; Resolvent; Tonic;
Vulnerary.
The fringed pink, called Qu Mai in Chinese herbalism, has been used in Chinese herbal medicine for over 2,000 years. The whole plant is a bitter tonic herb that stimulates the digestive and urinary system, and also the bowels[238]. It also lowers blood pressure, reduces fevers and controls bacterial infections[218, 238]. Little used on its own, it is often taken with Dan Shen (Salvia multiorrhiza) to induce menstruation[254]. The closely related D. chinensis has the same uses as Qu Mai and is more commonly used[238]. The plant is abortifacient, contraceptive, diuretic, emmenagogue, ophthalmic, tonic and vulnerary[147, 176, 178, 218]. It is said to promote hair growth[147, 176, 178]. It is ranked 9th in a list of 250 potential antifertility Chinese plants[218]. The plant is taken internally in the treatment of acute urinary tract infections (especially cystitis), urinary stones, constipation and failure to menstruate[238]. Externally, it is applied to skin inflammations and swellings[238]. The leaves are used in the treatment of haemorrhoids, lumbricoid worms, venereal sores etc[218]. The flowers are astringent, diuretic, haemostatic, resolvent and vulnerary[218]. Research has shown that the flowers are the most markedly diuretic part of the plant[254].
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Cultivation details
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Prefers an alkaline soil but tolerates slightly acid soils[200]. Succeeds in any well-drained peaty soil in sun or light shade[187]. Plants succeed when grown on the top of a broad or retaining wall[219]. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -20°c[187]. The flowers have a soft sweet perfume[245].
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Propagation
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Seed - sow April/June in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 weeks at 20°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the autumn.
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 You can download this page as a PDF
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Botanical References
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50200
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Links / References
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[K] Ken Fern Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
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[100]Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide.
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An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
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[105]Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
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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.
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[147]? A Barefoot Doctors Manual.
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A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.
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[176]Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas.
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An excellent Chinese herbal giving information on over 500 species. Rather technical and probably best suited to the more accomplished user of herbs.
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[177]Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption.
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An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
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[178]Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica.
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A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.
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[179]Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao.
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A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.
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[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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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.
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[187]Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2.
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Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
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[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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[218]Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China
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Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
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[219]Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls
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A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
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[238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
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A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
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[245]Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World.
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An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
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[254]Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants
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An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
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Subject : Dianthus superbus
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