Tree lavatera (Lavatera thuringiaca)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −12.2 °C
Cultivation
An easily grown plant, succeeding in any ordinary garden soil. Plants are hardy to about -20°c. There are many named forms selected for their ornamental value. The cultivar 'Barnsley' usually produces new shoots from the base in the autumn and winter. It is therefore a potential winter salad plant, though the texture of the leaves is not that wonderful[K].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed. Germination is usually quick and good. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer[K]. Basal cuttings in spring. Cuttings of softwood in June/July.
Edible uses
Young leaves - raw or cooked. A mild flavour, but the leaves are tough and not very worthwhile[K]. Leaves of the cultivar 'Barnsley' are less tough and are reasonably tasty, a plant at Kew had also produced quite a few leaves in the winter and so it is a potential winter salad[K]. Flowers - raw. A pleasant mild flavour, they make a decorative addition to the salad bowl[K]. Many named cultivars have considerably larger flowers than the type species and are thus much more worthwhile for the salad bowl[K].
Material uses
A strong fibre is obtained from the stems, it is used for making string, bags, paper etc.
Habitat
Hills, thickets and waysides.
Native range
S.E. Europe to W. Asia - Armenia to Caucasia.