Herb Garden Plants

Podophyllum peltatum (Saxifragaceae)

Appearance
One of the early season flowering herb garden plants, the American Mandrake reaches a height of about 50cm only after it has flowered. Towards Autumn the leaves will mature into a distinctive deep red colour, making for an attractive late Summer display. These 25cm wide leaves broad leaves bear prominent veins.

The subtly perfumed flower yields to a large yellow/red seed pod, which unlike its poisonous roots and leaves, is edible.

The American Mandrake has multi branched and matted fibrous stems with a long and extensive underground runner network. Typically, some stems will have a single leaf while others may sport a pair of leaves which are accompanied by a single white flower.

History
First discovered in the eastern American Atlantic colonies where it characteristically grew in damp shaded fields and boggy woods, the plant is still considered semi-aquatic in England, where it arrived in the mid 17th century.

Usage
The tea obtained from the fleshy fibrous root was known to the American Indians as an emetic and vermifuge and has a powerful and beneficial action on the liver but must be used only in competent hands.

Cultivation
There are 2 basic approaches used to propagate the plants:

• You may divide established clumps in spring

• You may sow the seeds from the ripe berry fruits.

When dividing these herb garden plants, separate the root stems and plant in a shady place with damp soil using well-rotted compost – the underground stems of the American mandrake will spread but are easily divided for further propagation at a later stage.