Circaea lutetiana

'Enchanter's Nightshade'

[Ex. Co. Durham, England]

Onagraceae: a perennial herbaceous to 70cm. Found in woods and shady places on a moist, base-rich soil. The white flower has 2 notched petals, 2 stamens and a 2-lobed stigma. The open flowers are well spaced along the stalk and there are no bracts at base of individual flower stalks. Blooming from June – August. The fruit is a small bur 3.5-5mm. The leaves are rounded or slightly notched at the base, they narrow gradually to the pointed tip and are not strongly toothed but have sinuate edges. The leaf stalks are equally hairy all round. In winter the aerial parts die off leaving an underground rhizome. Native to Europe, Middle Asia, Siberia, and the eastern United States and Canada.

USES:

Circaea lutetiana herb has been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally as tea, or externally as cold maceration in ethanol, for treatment of rheumatism, gout, infections, and fever.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Sow seeds in pots in spring in light shade in a cold frame, pricking the seedlings out into individual pots once they are large enough to handle. Plant out in the summer or the following spring. Prefers a moist soil and a position in partial shade, growing well in woodland conditions.

HARVESTED: 2022

 

APPROX. 45+ SEEDS