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Tolmiea menziesii - (Pursh.)Torr.&A.Gray.

Common Name Youth On Age, Mother-of-Thousands Plant, Youth on Age Plant, Pickaback Plant
Family Saxifragaceae
USDA hardiness 7-9
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Moist coniferous woods below 1800 metres[187], especially by streams[60].
Range Western N. America. Occasionally naturalized in Britain[17].
Edibility Rating    (1 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Well drained soil Moist Soil Full shade Semi-shade
Tolmiea menziesii Youth On Age, Mother-of-Thousands Plant, Youth on Age Plant, Pickaback Plant


Tolmiea menziesii Youth On Age, Mother-of-Thousands Plant, Youth on Age Plant, Pickaback Plant
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Rosser1954

 

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Summary

Bloom Color: Brown, Green. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Late summer, Late spring, Mid summer. Form: Spreading or horizontal.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Tolmiea menziesii is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.6 m (2ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in) at a medium rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7. It is in leaf all year, in flower from May to June. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs).
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers dry or moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Tiarella menziesii

Plant Habitats

Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade; Ground Cover;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves  Shoots
Edible Uses:

Young shoots in spring - raw[118, 257]. Rather bitter[K].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Poultice

A poultice of the fresh leaves has been used in the treatment of boils[257].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

A ground cover plant for a shady position[188]. Plants are best spaced about 60cm apart each way[208].

Special Uses

Ground cover

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Landscape Uses:Container, Ground cover, Rock garden, Woodland garden. A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in any good sweet garden soil that does not dry out in spring[200]. Prefers a fairly rich and not too heavy soil[200]. Requires some shade to prevent leaf-scorch[200]. Succeeds in dry shade[188]. Succeeds in the border or woodland[1]. Although perfectly hardy in Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -17°c[200], this plant is often grown as a houseplant because of its interesting habit of producing new young plants on its old leaves[1]. Special Features: North American native, Inconspicuous flowers or blooms.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

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Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division of young plants in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

NORTHERN AMERICA: Canada (British Columbia), United States (Oregon, Washington, California)

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

(Pursh.)Torr.&A.Gray.

Botanical References

60200

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

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