Parthenium integrifolium
L.
(c) distortedapricot, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) distortedapricot, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) joelmc, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
None known
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a cool temperate plant. It suits hardiness zone 4.
USA,
How to Identify
A perennial growing to 1 m tall, hardy to UK zone 3. Flowers from July to August with hermaphroditic blooms pollinated by insects. Adapts to light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage across mildly acidic to basic pH ranges. Requires full sun and tolerates both dry and moist soils with good drought resistance.
How to Grow
Requires a position in full sun in a well-drained soil. Thick or swollen - fibrous or tap root.
Propagation: Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring.
Medicinal Uses
A poultice made from fresh leaves is applied to burns. The root is used to treat inflammation of the urinary passages and kidneys, amenorrhoea, and as a lithontripic. The flowering tops serve as a substitute for quinine in treating intermittent fevers. One study suggests the plant may stimulate the immune system.
Other Uses
None known
Wikipedia
Source ↗Parthenium integrifolium is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names wild quinine, common wild quinine, American feverfew, and eastern feverfew. It is native to the eastern and midwestern United States.
References (1)
- Jackes, D. A., Edible Forest Gardens
