Pale Bastard Toadflax (Comandra pallida)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
Cultivation
Requires a well-drained moisture retentive lime-free soil. A parasitic plant obtaining at least some of its nutrients from the roots of other plants.
Propagation
Seed - stratify for 3 months at 5°c and then sow in the greenhouse in a pot with a suitable host. Plant out when it is well established close to a mature host plant.
Edible uses
Fruit. The small round seeds are eaten like nuts by children.
Medicinal uses
The plant is narcotic. The plant has been used to treat sore eyes and sores on the body and also as a mouth wash for canker sores.
Material uses
A blue dye is obtained from the area next to the root bark.
Habitat
Dry hills and plains.
Native range
Western N. America - Manitoba to British Columbia and south to Texas.