Scootberry (Streptopus roseus)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full shade
- Frost limit
- −40 °C
Cultivation
Requires a cool leafy soil in shade or partial shade. Hardy to at least -20°c. A very ornamental plant.
Propagation
Seed - best sown in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe in the summer. Sow stored seed in a cold frame as soon as it is received. The seed, especially if it has been stored, can be very slow to germinate, sometimes taking 18 months or more. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a shady part of the greenhouse or cold frame. It will normally take 2 or more growing seasons before the roots are large enough to plant out - this is best done when the plant is dormant in the autumn. Division as the plant comes into growth in early spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame for their first year, planting them out in the following spring.
Edible uses
Young leaves and shoots are added to salads to impart a cucumber flavour. Fruit - raw or cooked. A sweetish flavour.
Medicinal uses
The fruit is cathartic. An infusion of the roots has been used in the treatment of a fallen womb. The flowers are diaphoretic. They can be used to induce sweating in the treatment of colds and fevers. The plant is tonic.
Habitat
Moist woods, river banks, alder thickets.
Native range
Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to Manitoba, south to Georgia and Michigan.