Deer Grass, Handsome Harry
Rhexia virginica
Family: Melastomataceae
What it is like
Rhexia virginica is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3. It is in flower from July to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Peat, wet sands and gravels to 700 metres. Usually found in moist acid sandy soils.
Eastern N. America - Maine to Ontario, south to Florida, Missouri and Louisiana.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Leaves - raw or cooked. A sweetish slightly acid taste. It makes a pleasant salad. Roots - raw. They can be chopped and added to salads or used as a pleasant nut-like nibble. A sour drink is made from the leaves and stems.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.
Medicine
Rating: 1
A tea made from the leaves and stems is used as a throat cleaner.
Miscellany: Various medicinal actions that need more clarification.
Other
Rating:
Miscellany: A rag-bag of items that are difficult to categorise.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
Requires a moist but freely draining neutral or acid peaty soil. Incorporate sand or grit into the soil if necessary at planting time. Grows well in a bog garden. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is a clumper with limited spread. The root pattern is tuberous with swollen potato-like roots .
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination should take place within 10 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold greenhouse or frame for their first winter. Plant out in late spring. Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.
Best place to grow: Bog Garden; Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 3-7
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist