Pearly Everlasting, Western pearly everlasting
Anaphalis margaritacea
Family: Asteraceae or Compositae
What it is like
Anaphalis margaritacea is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.9 m (3ft) by 1 m (3ft 3in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in August, and the seeds ripen in September. The species is dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). and is pollinated by Insects. The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Height (m): 0.9
Where it is found
Moist meadows, by rivers, on wall tops and in sandy and waste places.
N. America. N.E. Asia. Naturalized in Britain.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Young leaves - cooked.
Medicine
Rating: 2
Pearly everlasting was often employed medicinally by native North American Indian tribes who used it in the treatment of a range of ailments. It is little used in modern herbalism. The whole plant is anodyne, antiseptic, astringent, expectorant and sedative. Used internally, it is a good remedy for diarrhoea, dysentery and pulmonary affections. A poultice of the flowers or the whole plant is applied to burns, sores, ulcers, bruises, swellings and rheumatic joints. An infusion of the plant is steamed and inhaled in the treatment of headaches. a cooled infusion of the roots and shots has been used as a laxative and emetic to treat 'poison stomach'.
Anodyne: Relieves pain, it is milder than an analgesic.
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.
Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.
Expectorant: Clears phlegm from the chest by inducing coughing.
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Sedative: Gently calms, reducing nervousness, distress and irritation.
Other
Rating:
Yellow to gold, also green and brown dyes can be obtained from the flowers, stems and leaves combined. The leaves, flowers and stems have been used as an incense, especially in baby cradles.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Incense: Aromatic plants that can be burnt to impart a pleasant smell, repel insects and disinfect closed areas.
How it is grown
Prefers a light well-drained soil and a sunny position. Requires a moist soil. Succeeds in most soils, including poor ones, and also in light shade. Succeeds in the shade of buildings, but not of trees. Plants are hardy to about -25°c. The flowering stems can be dried and used as everlasting flowers. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. The seed is best sown when it is ripe in the autumn. It usually germinates in 4 - 8 weeks at 15°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division is very easy at almost any time of the year, the divisions can be planted straight into their permanent positions if required.
Best place to grow: Meadow; Cultivated Beds; East Wall. In. South Wall. In. West Wall. In.
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 3-7
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Dry, moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Synonyms
Antennaria margaritacea. Gnaphalium margaritaceum.