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Melanthiaceae FAMILY

Melanthium virginicum

Melanthium virginicum

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
1/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitPerennial
Growth—

Requires a deep fertile moisture retentive humus-rich soil[1]. Succeeds in full sun if the soil does not dry out but prefers a position in semi-shade[1]. Dislikes dry soils[2]. Grows best in a cool woodland garden or a north facing border[2]. Succeeds in acid soils in a bog garden[1].

Propagation

Unless the seed is stored in damp sand at around 4°c it has a short viability[1]. Where possible it is best to sow the seed in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe[1]. Stored seed needs to be cold stratified but can be very slow to germinate. Germination can be erratic even for seed sown when it was fresh, it usually takes place within 3 - 12 months at 15°c but can be much longer[1]. Sow the seed thinly so that it can be grown on in the pot without disturbance for the first couple of years. Give an occasional liquid feed in the growing season to ensure the plants do not become nutrient deficient. The plant produces just one seed leaf in its first year, this forms an over-wintering bulb. At the end of the second year's growth, pot up the over-wintering bulbs, placing one or two bulbs in each pot. Grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame for at least another couple of years before planting them out into their permanent positions. It takes up to 10 years for the plant to reach maturity[1]. Division in March/mid spring or in October. Establish the plants in pots in a shaded frame before planting them out[1]. Root cuttings, 6mm long with a bud, rooted in a sandy soil in a cold frame[1]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Melanthium+virginicum>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  2. [2]Hardy Bulbs.; Including Half-hardy Bulbs and Tuberous and Fiberous-rooted Plants — Grey. C. H. · Williams & Norgate. · 1938 · ISBN - ↩︎Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.
  3. [3]Flora of the Great Plains. — McGregor. R. L. & Barkley. T. M. · University Press of Kansas. · 1986 · ISBN 070060295x ↩︎A useful source of habitats.
  4. [4]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  5. [5]The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. — Coffey. T. · Facts on File. · 1993 · ISBN 0-8160-2624-6 ↩︎A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.