Alisma plantago-aquatica - Plantain d'eau

Famille: Alismataceae, Genre: Alisma
Flûteau commun, Alisma Plantain d'eau
Vivace (0.9m de haut par 0.45m de large).

Habitat

Exposition
Plein soleil
Humidité
Sol mouillé ou dans l'eau.
Sol
Tous sols.
pH
Sol acide ou calcaire
Rusticité
Zone 6
Habitat originel
Ditches, damp ground and shallow pond margins in water up to 15cm deep[13, 17, 24].
Origine géographique
Northern temperate regions of Europe, including Britain, Asia and America.

Dangers connus

  • The fresh leaves and roots are toxic but the toxic principal is destroyed by heat or by drying [13, 46].

Comestibilité

  • Racine - cuite [13, 46, 61, 74].
  • Rich in starch [114].
  • Caution is advised, the root is acrid if it is not dried or well cooked before use [2, 183].
  • Leaves and petioles - must be thoroughly cooked .
  • They require long boiling and have a salty flavour [105, 179].

Usages médicinaux

  • The leaves are antibacterial, anticholesterolemic, diaphoretic, diuretic, hypoglycaemic and hypotensive [4, 147, 176].
  • They are used in the treatment of cystitis, dysentery, renal calculus, gravel etc [4].
  • The fresh leaf is rubefacient [222].
  • It is used in the treatment of leprosy[218] and is also applied locally to bruises and swellings [4].
  • Dried stem bases eaten, or grated and taken with water in treating digestive disorders such as heartburn, cramps and stomach flu [257].
  • The powdered seed is an astringent, used in cases of bleeding [4].
  • The seed is also said to promote sterility [218].
  • The root has a wide range of medicinal uses [176, 218].
  • It is antibacterial, anticholesterolemic, diuretic and hypotensive [176].
  • It is said to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels[238] whilst it also has an antibacterial action on Staphylococcus, Pneumococci and Mycobacterium [176].
  • The root is used in the treatment of oliguria, oedema, nephritis, acute diarrhoea, cholesterolaemia and fatty liver [176].
  • It has been thought of as a cure for rabies, though this has not been substantiated [4].
  • The whole plant is believed to promote conception [218].
  • The root is harvested before the plant comes into flower and is dried for later use [238].
  • A homeopathic remedy is obtained from the fresh root [4].

Culture

  • Succeeds in a sunny position in boggy ground or shallow water up to 25cm deep [200].
  • Plants often self-sow aggressively when in a suitable position [1, 56].
  • The subspecies A. plantago-maritima orientale .
  • Sam. is the form used medicinally in China [176].
  • The subspecies A. plantago-maritima parviflorum (Syn A. parviflorum, A. subcordatum) is the form used medicinally in America [222].
  • Plants are very attractive to slugs [K].

Propagation

  • Graines - Semez sous chassis dès qu'elles sont mûres .
  • Place the pot in about 3cm of water to keep the soil wet .
  • Pot up the seedlings when large enough to handle and keep in the cold frame for the first winter, planting out in late spring .
  • Division au printemps ou à l'automne .
  • Fairly easy, the divisions can be planted straight out into their permanent positions .

Calendrier

En fleur
6 - 8
Maturité des graines
7 - 9

Pollinisation

Type de fleur
Hermaphrodite (les fleurs ont des organes mâles et femelles)
Auto-fertile
Non
Pollinisateurs
Mouches

Divers

Pollution
Non
Autres réferences
[17, 200]

Réferences

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 1951.
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. 1972.
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. 1984.
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. 1975.
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.
[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. 1962.
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. 1959.
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[56] Muhlberg. H. Complete Guide to Water Plants. 1982.
Deals with a wide range of plants for temperate areas (and indoor aquaria) with quite a lot of information on cultivation techniques.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. 1974.
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. 1968.
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.
[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. 1976.
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
[114] Chakravarty. H. L. The Plant Wealth of Iraq.
It is surprising how many of these plants can be grown in Britain. A very readable book on the useful plants of Iraq.
[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual.
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.
[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. 1985.
An excellent Chinese herbal giving information on over 500 species. Rather technical and probably best suited to the more accomplished user of herbs.
[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. 1977.
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. 1990.
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. 1992.
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China 1985.
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. 1990.
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. 1995.
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany 1998.
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

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