Pulmonaria obscura 'Lungwort'

[Ex. Ralská pahorkatina 290 m., Czech Republic]

Boraginaceae: a roughly hairy perennial to 30cm, found on verges and waysides. The flowers are 1cm across, bell-shaped, pink at first, turning blue, in terminal clusters, blooming from February-May. The leaves are oval, and all green, this ssp. does not have the white spots. Europe. Naturalised in Britain.

USES:

The leaves can be raw or cooked, they can be added to salads or used as a potherb. They have a fairly bland flavour but the leaves are low in fibre and make an acceptable addition to mixed salads, though their mucilaginous and slightly hairy texture make them less acceptable when eaten on their own. The plant is an ingredient of the drink Vermouth.

Lungwort has a high mucilage content and this makes it useful in the treatment of chest conditions, being of particular benefit in cases of chronic bronchitis. The leaves and flowering shoots have astringent, demulcent, diaphoretic, diuretic, emollient, mildly expectorant and resolvent properties.

GROWING INFORMATION:

This species is a cold-germinator or sometimes referred to as frost-germinator. The sowing must be kept warm (about +18 to +22°C) [about 64 to 72°F] and moist for the first 2–4 weeks. After this period the sowing must be kept at a cold temperature (between –4 and +4°C) [between 25 and 39°F] for another 4–6 weeks. The cooling period has to be prolonged because the synthesis of the germination inducer, hormone-like acid, slows down or comes to a standstill.

It is beneficial to cover the sowing with snow during the cooling-period. The temperature below it usually keeps in the optimum range of –4 to 0°C [25 to 32°F]. The sowing is kept moist, and the melting snow helps to destroy the shell, which is advantageous for the germinating seedling. After this cooling-period the sowing may not be immediately exposed to high temperatures. The most effective temperatures are between +5 to +12°C [41 to 54°F], even if germination has started. The best location for this sowing, even in March, April and May, the cold frame or a cold greenhouse.

I have found that this species germinates in 4 weeks after at treatment with GA3 [Gibberellic acid]

HARVESTED: 5/2022*

 
APPROX. 20 SEEDS