Inula racemosa
Origin: Himalayas
Improvement status: Cultivated material
Seeds per packet: ~50
BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED
Life cycle: Perennial
Pushkarmool is a perennial relative of elecampane with beautiful yellow slender-petaled daisy-like flowers and highly medicinal roots. It is clump-forming, and at maturity grows up to 7ft tall and 3 or 4ft wide. It makes a great specimen plant for a perennial garden. Native to the Himalaya region (including India, Tibet, Xinjiang, Kashmir, Nepal, and Afghanistan), it is reportedly increasingly endangered due to over-harvesting and habitat destruction. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is used for pulmonary problems, including asthma, coughing, and chest pain. It has also been used against liver problems, tuberculosis, cardiac disorders, gonorrhea, and diabetes. The leaves have been used for diarrhea, dystenary, and bronchitis. Scientists around the world are currently studying the plant, and a number of promising studies have already been published. This is a plant more people should be growing, more scientists should be studying, and more herbalists should be using. Our seed comes from Aaron Parker at Edgewood Nursery in Maine.
GROWING TIPS: Seeds are typically deeply dormant, cold stratify 60+ days or store dry for 12+ months. Seeds should be surface shown and exposed to light for best germination. Grows easily in sun to part shade in most soils. Easily self sows, so deadheading is advisable. Because of possible weed potential, do not abandon.
