Buckbean, Bogbean, Marsh Trefoil, Marsh clover
Menyanthes trifoliata
Family: Menyanthaceae
What it is like
A creeping plant growing from an underground stem or rhizome. These are thick and spongy. It may form dense clumps over the surface of ponds. These can be 1 m across. The leaves are divided into 3 leaflets. The leaflets are olive green. The leaf stalks sheath each other. There are long fine hairs over the spreading corolla of the flower. The flower stalk can be 25-40 cm high. It can have a dense spike of white to purplish flowers. There can be 10-20 flowers. The fruit is a capsule 6-8 mm long.
There is only one Menyanthes species. Several are unresolved.
Where it is found
It is a temperate plant. It grows in bogs and on the edges of ponds. It can grow in open water. In China it grows between 400-3,600 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 3-9. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Alaska, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Britain, Canada, China, Estonia, Europe, Finland, France, Himalayas, India, Japan, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mongolia, Nepal, North Africa, North America, Norway, Pakistan, Russia, Scandinavia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tibet, Turkey, Türkiye, USA
How it is used for food
The roots are washed in running water to remove the bitter element then ground into flour. It is used in bread. They are dried and ground and leached and dried. The leaves have been used as a substitute for hops in brewing. Dried leaves are brewed into tea.
The roots are a famine food.
Edible parts
Root, rhizomes, leaves - flavouring, leaves - tea
How it is grown
It can be grown by seed or division. Cuttings can be used.
Its other names
Local names
Bitter worm, Navadni mrzličnik, Ubaleht, Water shamrock