Indian Cucumber Root
Medeola virginiana
Family: Trilliaceae
What it is like
Medeola virginiana 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 May to June, and the seeds ripen in September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Rich woods, margins of swamps and bogs.
Eastern N. America - Nova Scotia to Ontario, Minnesota, Florida and Tennessee.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Root - raw or cooked. Crisp and tender with the aroma and taste of cucumbers. A sweet flavour. The root is up to 8cm long.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 1
The root is diuretic and hydrogogue. It is used in the treatment of dropsy. An infusion of the crushed dried berries and leaves has been used to treat babies with convulsions.
Antispasmodic: Relaxes muscular spasms and cramps, calming nervous irritation.
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Hydrogogue: A purgative that causes an abundant watery discharge.
Other
Rating: 1
Scented plant.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Prefers light shade and plenty of leaf mould in a slightly acid soil. Prefers a rich sandy soil. The rootstock has a pleasant refreshing smell of cucumber. 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 rhizomatous with underground stems sending roots and shoots along their length.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame in a well-drained soil-less medium. Fully remove the fleshy seed covering because this contains germination inhibitors. The seed should germinate in the spring. Spring sown seed can be slow to germinate and may take 12 months or more. The seed should be sown thinly so that the seedlings can be grown on undisturbed in the pot for their first year. If necessary apply a liquid feed at intervals through the growing season to ensure that the plants grow on well. Prick the roots out into individual pots in the autumn and grow them on in a shady part of the greenhouse for at least the next growing season, planting them out into their permanent positions when they are dormant. Division in spring as the plant comes into growth.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 3-7
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: Semi-shade
Moisture: Moist