Hedyotis diffusa Seeds | Snake-needle Grass
LATIN NAME: Hedyotis diffusa
COMMON NAME: Snake-needle Grass
Plant Profile
Known to gardeners as Snake-needle Grass, Hedyotis diffusa is a grass in the madder family. Snake-needle grass is a low, white-flowered herb of damp field, and tiny, white, four-petalled flowers open along spreading stems. Plant has a long record in old practice of the warm East as cooling herb of fever, and it is a fine, quiet presence of damp garden and wild patch. It is a plant of open, sunny to partly shaded, moist ground. Bees find the flowers quickly, and that pollinator traffic is a garden benefit in its own right. For the small amount of care it requires, the return is remarkable.
Science & Biotechnology
The species features in the wider study of the madder family, and its traits make it a useful subject for work on germination biology, cultivation and ornamental selection. Little about its garden performance is mysterious; it has been grown and observed for a very long time.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Snake-needle Grass earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Snake-needle grass is a fine, quiet plant of damp garden and wild patch. Keep ground moist in dry spells and plants will spread into fine, low green mat through warm season. To grow snake-needle grass from seed, sow small, round seeds across surface of a pot of damp seed compost, with a light press, keep pot in a bright, open spot and water gently. In later seasons it demands little more than an appreciative eye.
Hedyotis, including Bai Hua She She Cao, is a workhorse of Chinese heat-clearing herbalism for sore throats and digestive troubles, with iridoids and anthraquinones under active study.
Growing from Seed
Snake-needle Grass is one of those generous plants that come along well from seed. Sow thinly on the surface of a loose, well-drained seed compost, cover lightly, water in gently and keep the tray in a sunny spot with even moisture. Prick the seedlings out once they are large enough to handle, grow them on in bright light, and plant out when conditions allow.
Our Take
Snake-needle Grass repays a little patience at sowing time with plenty of garden presence later.
Related Reading
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