code: 745
famous plant is perhaps THE classic alpine plant
Family: Primulaceae
Common name: “Snow-Bells”
Plant Classification: Hardy perennial
Maximum Height: 10 cm
Packet Content(approx.): 20
This famous plant is perhaps THE classic alpine plant, epitomising spring, as the delicately fringed purple bells push up through the snow with leathery dark green rounded leaves. This choice, very hardy and perennial plant improves yearly if grown in loose gritty soil, but produces very few seeds indeed.
Sowing advice:
Seeds can be sown at any time but are best sown in winter or early spring to benefit from a cold spell in the wet compost to break their dormancy. We advise covering seeds very thinly with sand or fine grit to about the depth of the seed size. If the seeds do not come up within 6 to 12 weeks the damp seed tray can be given cold treatment in a fridge for about four weeks. They may still take very many months to appear, so please never discard the pot or tray.
Uses:
Folkloric uses of the plant range from treating asthma with a root decoction, to curing athlete’s foot by rubbing leaf juices on the skin. Although these medical uses are not widely practiced and vary through cultures, they are an explanation for why this plant has been cultivated.
The fruit has been embraced by Eastern cultures. It is primarily used as decorative foliage for religious and festival floral arrangements in Asia. The fruit is imported for the creation of Chinese New Year trees, due to their golden colored fruit and the belief that the five “fingers” on the fruit represent longevity for the family. In Chinese culture, the plant is known as five fingered eggplant (五指茄) and in Japan it is known as Fox Face (フォックスフェイス).
The juice of the fruit can be used as a detergent in place of a washing powder, making it similar to the soap nut. The Kofun People of Colombia and Ecuador use the plant as an insect repellent, primarily against cockroaches. The fruit works as a repellent because of the toxicity of steroidal glycoalkaloid.
Although the fruit is poisonous, it can be cooked and eaten like a vegetable when it is unripe. It provides a good source of calcium, phosphorus, iron, and vitamin B. One way that the fruit can be prepared is boiling the whole fruit and drinking the juices once boiled. In the Philippines, not only is the fruit eaten, but the leaves are also prepared as a tea considered to be anodyne, a mild narcotic.
