Sunshine Farm and Gardens
Rare and Exceptional Plants for the
Discriminating Gardener and Collector |
` | Spigelia marilandica |
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So..........you like Hummingbirds, huh? Boy, have I got a plant for you! Spigelia marilandica is an easy to grow native plant that does well just about anywhere in the garden. Here, they thrive in a spot that gets sun from 10:00 AM to about 1:00 PM on an average Summer day. The soil is kind of rich, but well drained.
Spigelia marilandica has supple, dark green foliage that persists the growing season long. The bright red trumpets with brilliant yellow throats open from the bottom of the flower stem to the top over a long period of time. They're a real traffic stopper at the front to middle of any border. By the way, it was voted one of the top 10 Hummingbird plants by Operation Rubythroat. You can find out more about Hummingbirds at their website http://www.rubythroat.org/ and just wait till you see what happens to your cursor when you go to their pages. Propagation is frustrating, if not near impossible from cuttings. The best results I've ever obtained (20%), were with 2500 parts per million Potassium salts of Indole butyric acid (Rootone), bottom heat and mist. But............seeds are really easy to germinate. In fact, the plants will self seed into a nice little colony if left to their own devices. If you want to consciously collect the seeds, you must practice diligence. Although they are not spit a great distance by the plant, they do tend to disperse themselves rather quickly after ripening to a dark black color. You should visit your plants daily if you are intent on collecting seed.
There are related species in the genus.
Spigelia texana - http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/mi01/mi01075
.jpg and a few
tropical species. There's also an endangered species,
Spigelia
gentianoides, see http://sciences.aum.edu/bi/BI4543/spge.html
Just the facts
M'am:
So, I
asked my friend Jim Duke, jimduke@cpcug.org to give me a
short, few
sentence blurb about the medicinal uses of Spigelia
marilandica and I get
back 503 words. If I'd asked him for a
paragraph, I would have
probably received a small book. Jim is a prolific
writer and a brilliant
guy. I am honored to have his words here. A short bio
about Jim follows
his blurb. If you'd like to learn more about this
fascinating man,
just go to http://www.google.com and type in his
name. Jim has a very
cool mini course in Medical Botany at http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/syllabus/
and Father Natures
Farmacy at: http://www.fathernaturesfarmacy.com/
"Coming from Maryland,
I bring it to you, the herb known as Maryland Pink,
Carolina Pink, Pinkroot, and
Wormgrass.I have it in my garden. I met the related very
poisonous species in
Panama. I am a bit wary of both species, close to the
strychnine
family. Jim Duke is a poet, humorist, songwriter, and retired USDA scientist who created the United States Department of Agriculture's plant chemical database. He is also a prolific author, eco-tourism advocate, and is said to be the inspiration for the Sean Connery movie "Medicine Man." Jim Duke is one of the most respected and beloved figures in the current "American herbal renaissance." As comfortable exploring plant resources in the Amazon as he is working with the "healing gardens" at his Fulton, Maryland "herbal farmette," Dr. Duke is a lecturer with the depth that only years of study coupled with extensive field experience can bring. The opportunity to spend time with him and a small group in the field is not to be missed.
A complete set of back issues of "Glick Pick of the Week" is available for the asking. If you would like me to send them, or if you would like to, first see the list, send me an email. Also, if you're getting more than one copy of this weekly mailing, or would like to subscribe a friend, or for some crazy reason, to unsubscribe, let me know. © 2001 Barry Glick and Sunshine Farm & Gardens |
Copyright © Barry Glick 1996-2024. All Rights Reserved.
Barry Glick, Sunshine Farm and Gardens
696 Glicks Rd, Renick, WV 24966, USA
Phone: (304) 497-2208
E-mail: barry@sunfarm.com
Last modified February 25, 2020
URL: https://www.sunfarm.com/picks/spigeliamarilandica-125812.phtml