Pacific Silverweed (Potentilla egedei)

At a glance

Lifecycle: Perennial (hardy)
Exposure: Full sun
Frost limit: −34.4 °C

Cultivation

Easily grown in a well-drained loam, preferring a position in full sun but tolerating shade. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer. This species is closely related to P. anserina.

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring or autumn in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.

Edible uses

Root - raw or cooked.

Medicinal uses

The whole plant is astringent. A poultice of the boiled roots and oil can be applied to sores and swellings. The juice from the roots has been used as a wash for sore eyes.

Habitat

Coastal dunes, beaches, sand flats, marsh edges and streambanks, occasionally inland, from Alaska to California.

Native range

E. Asia. Western N. America - Alaska to California..