Bergenia purpurascens
Family: Saxifragaceae
What it is like
Bergenia purpurascens is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 0.3 m (1ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from March to May. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.5
Where it is found
On rocks and open slopes, 3600 - 4700 metres. in the Himalayas. Forests, scrub, alpine meadows and alpine rock crevices at elevations of 2700 - 4800 metres in western China.
E. Asia - Himalayas to China.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 0
Medicine
Rating: 2
The root is astringent, styptic, tonic. A safe and effective treatment for chronic bronchitis. It is also used in the treatment of giddiness and general physical feebleness. Extracts of the plant are antiseptic. The plant is a source of the drug bergenin.
Antiseptic: Preventing sepsis, decay or putrefaction, it destroys or arrests the growth of micro-organisms.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Styptic: An astringent that stops bleeding by contracting the blood vessels.
Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.
Other
Rating: 3
A useful ground cover plant, though rather slow to spread. Plants form clumps.
Ground cover: Ground Cover
How it is grown
Succeeds in full sun or light shade in most soils but prefers a deep fertile soil that does not dry out fully. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Plants are at their best in a medium-heavy soil. Requires a position sheltered from cold drying winds and from the early morning sun. The leaf colour is best when plants are grown in a poor soil in a sunny position. Plants are hardy to about -20°c. The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits. The different species of this genus will hybridise freely when grown near each other.
Propagating it: Seed - surface sow in a greenhouse. Make sure that the compost does not dry out. Two weeks cold stratification can speed up germination which usually takes 1 - 6 months at 15°c. Fresh seed, sown as soon as it is ripe in late spring is liable to germinate better than stored seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in late spring after flowering or in autumn. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted straight into their permanent positions whilst smaller clumps are best potted up and kept in a cold frame until they are growing away well.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Ground Cover;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 4-8
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist