Bogbean, Buckbean, Marsh Trefoil,
Menyanthes trifoliata
Family: Menyanthaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Pink, White. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Mid summer. Form: Prostrate, Spreading or horizontal, Variable spread.
Menyanthes trifoliata is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 1 m (3ft 3in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3. It is in flower from May to July. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers wet soil and can grow in water.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Shallow water on the edges of ponds and in marshy ground, usually in acid soils.
Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to Spain, N. and C. Asia, Morocco.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Root - cooked. It must be treated to get rid of an acrid taste. This can be done by drying the root, grinding it into a powder and then washing it in running water. Unfortunately, this treatment will also get rid of many of the vitamins and minerals contained in the root. The powder can be used for making 'missen bread' (famine bread). The root is an emergency food that is used when all else fails. The intensely bitter leaves are used as a substitute for hops in making beer.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.
Medicine
Rating: 3
Bogbean is closely related to the gentians, which are famous bitter herbs used as a digestive and general body tonic. This plant can be used similarly, but it can irritate the digestive system of patients with gastric inflammation or infection. The plant is anti-inflammatory, astringent, carminative, cathartic, deobstruent, digestive, diuretic, emetic, emmenagogue, febrifuge, hypnotic, stomachic, tonic. All parts of the plant are medically active, but the leaves are the part most commonly used. The leaves are best harvested in late spring or early summer and dried before use, the fresh plant causes vomiting. An infusion is given in the treatment of muscular weakness in M.E., chronic infections with debility and exhaustion, indigestion, anorexia and rheumatism. Given in small doses of about 10 grains it imparts vigour to the stomach and aids digestion. Using the plant helps a person to gain weight. It s also believed to be an effective remedy for rheumatoid arthritis, especially when this condition is associated with weakness, weight loss and lack of vitality. Bogbean is usually prescribed in combination with other herbs such as celery seed (Apium graveolens) and white willow (Salix alba). This plant should not be prescribed for patients with diarrhoea, dysentery or colitis. Excess doses cause vomiting.
Antiinflammatory: Reduces inflammation of joints, injuries etc.
Appetizer: Improves the appetite
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.
Cathartic: A strong laxative but less violent than a purgative.
Deobstruent: Clears obstructions from the natural ducts of the body.
Digestive: Aids digestion.
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.
Emetic: Induces vomiting.
Emmenagogue: Promotes or increases the menstrual flow. In early stages of pregnancy it can induce an abortion.
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Hypnotic: Induces sleep.
Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.
Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Container, Ground cover, Woodland garden. Grow in a bog garden in wet peaty soil or in shallow water at the edge of a pond. Prefers acid conditions. Succeeds in water up to 30cm deep. Dislikes shade. Plants can be very invasive, spreading by means of long-creeping thick surface rhizomes. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -25°c. Cats are very fond of this plant. Special Features: Attractive foliage, North American native, Edible, Naturalizing.
Propagating it: Do not allow the seed to dry out. Sow late winter to early spring in a pot in a cold frame and keep the pot just submerged in water. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in trays of water 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. Very easy, the divisions can be planted straight out into their permanent positions if required. However, particularly with smaller divisions, we find it better to pot them up and grow them on in a cold frame for a few weeks until they are established. Cuttings taken in summer can be inserted into the mud at the side of the pond and will normally root well.
Best place to grow: Pond; Bog Garden;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 2-7
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Wet, water
Things to keep in mind
Large doses may cause abdominal pains, nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting. Reports of red cell damage (haemolysis). Effects may be due to the salicylic acid constituent .