Tropaeolum sessilifolium
Tropaeolum sessilifolium
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
Prefers a sunny position in a well-drained humus-rich neutral or slightly acidic loam[1]. This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to about -5°c and is usually best grown in a cold greenhouse or conservatory[1]. This rather conflicts with the plants native habitat, since it grows in mountainous areas subject to snow. This should be a cold-tolerant species, adapted to a dry summer after brief spring rain and snowmelt[2]. It might be safest to lift the tubers in the autumn after the plant has been cut back by frost, store them in a cool but frost-free place over the winter and plant them out in April[1]. This species is succeeding outdoors in a garden in Lanarkshire where it is being grown on a bank of sharply draining soil and under some juniper shrubs which both give it protection and act as a support for its climbing stems[3]. The plant sets seed when grown outdoors, but a better set is obtained when the plants are grown under protection[3]. A climbing plant, it supports itself by twisting its leaf stalks around other plants etc[4]. The caterpillars of the cabbage white butterfly can be a nuisance and often cause considerable damage to the leaves[4].
Propagation
Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. Prick the seedlings out into individual pots once they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. The seed normally germinates quite freely[3]. Division of the tubers in the autumn or spring. In cold winter areas the tubers can be harvested in the autumn after top-growth has died down and they can then be stored in a cool frost-free position until planting them out in the spring. Cuttings of basal stems in the spring[1]. Pot them up into individual pots and place them in light shade in a frame until they are established. Plant out in early summer. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Tropaeolum+sessilifolium>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [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]Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books, London. · 1998 · ISBN 0-330-37376-5 ↩︎Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.
- [3]The New Plantsman. Volume 4. — Knees. S. · Royal Horticultural Society, London · 1997 · ISBN 1352-4186 ↩︎A few articles of interest, especially Berberdopsis corallina and Tropaeolum species.
- [4]Gardening on Walls — Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. · Collins · 1983 · ISBN 0-00-219220-0 ↩︎A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.
- [5]Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World. — Tanaka. T. & Nakao S. · Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo · 1976 · ISBN - ↩︎The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
- [6]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
- [7]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.