Epimedium sagittatum seed
LATIN NAME: Epimedium sagittatum
COMMON NAME: Barrenwort
The barrenwort springs the airy sprays of the small, spurred flowers above the neat, heart-shaped leaves, and the whole plant carries the fine, delicate look of the shaded woodland. The low, clump-forming, evergreen, perennial herb carries the neat, heart-shaped, finely toothed leaflets in the loose clusters, the young leaves often tinted red, and the small, four-petalled flowers with the long, curved spurs in the airy, branched sprays through the late spring, one of the delicate, quiet sights of the shaded woodland, drawing the bees, to be followed by the small, dry, brownish capsules. The whole plant has a very long record in the old practice of the cool lands, and the plant is a historic presence of the shaded woodland. It is a plant of the shaded, deep, rich, moist, well-drained ground.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The barrenwort is a historic subject of the plant science, and the spurred flowers keep showing up in the work on the woodland herbs. The way the small, four-petalled flowers with the long, curved spurs form in the airy, branched sprays has been studied at length, and it keeps appearing in the studies of the woodland herbs, the heart-shaped leaflets and the members of the barberry family. The spurred flowers and the low habit have also made it a fine study herb, and the barrenwort is a regular subject of the work on the spurred flowers of the cool world.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
The barrenwort is a delicate, useful plant of the shaded woodland and the study collection. The neat, heart-shaped, finely toothed leaflets in the loose clusters carry the delicate look of the shaded woodland, one of the delicate, quiet sights of the shaded woodland, drawing the bees, and the whole plant has a very long record in the old practice of the cool lands, the dried leaves coming to the old teas and the prepared remedies of the old shops, while the small, four-petalled flowers with the long, curved spurs open in the airy, branched sprays through the late spring, to be followed by the small, dry, brownish capsules. It is one of the fine choices for the shaded woodland, the ground cover and the study collection, and it has been written up in the botanical and the scientific papers for the long history and the fine, delicate ways. It is a delicate, useful plant of the shaded, deep, rich, moist, well-drained garden.
The barrenwort seeds like a fine, gritty mix in a shaded, cool spot with steady moisture. The young plants are neat and slow at first, and they spread into the fine, leafy carpets of the woodland floor.
To grow the barrenwort from seed, sow the tiny, brown seeds over the surface of the deep tray of fine, gritty soil, keep the tray in a shaded, cool spot and water gently, then set the young plants out in the open ground. The seedlings appear within a few weeks and grow on steadily. With the shade and the deep, rich, moist ground, the spurred flowers will open over the years.