Ling, Horn nut
Trapa bicornis

Family: Trapaceae

What it is like

Trapa bicornis is a PERENNIAL. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5 and is not frost tender. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It can grow in water.

Height (m): 0

Where it is found

Not known

E. Asia - China.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Seed - cooked. A crunchy texture with a bland flavour. Rich in starch, the raw seed contains a deleterious principle that is destroyed by cooking. The cooked seed can be dried and ground into a powder.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 1

The flowers are astringent in fluxes. The fruit is used in the treatment of fever and sunstroke. The plant is anticancer, antipyretic and tonic.

Antipyretic: Treats fevers. See Febrifuge.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Cancer: Used in the treatment of cancer.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

An aquatic plant, floating by means of inflated petioles, it succeeds in still or slowly-flowing water requiring a position in full sun and a slightly acidic water with a rich planting medium. Plants require a high summer temperature in order to perform well, they are not frost hardy. Some botanists regard this species as no more than a part of the one highly polymorphic species T. natans. This species was used for food in Neolithic Britain.

Propagating it: Seed - harvest in late summer and store overwinter in a jar of water in a cold but frost-free place. The seed quickly loses its vitality if it is allowed to become dry. Sow in spring, placing one seed in each pot and submerging them under a few centimetres of water.

Best place to grow: Pond;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 4-8

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Water

Things to keep in mind

The raw seed contains toxins but that these are destroyed in the cooking process.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

T. bicornuta.