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Plant · P-308
Silverweed
Argentina anserina
Silverweed's starchy root was a genuine pre-potato staple in Scotland and Ireland - crisp, nutty and slightly starchy raw or cooked, or dried and ground into a soup thickener. It spreads indefinitely by stolons that root at every node, a habit useful for erosion control and habitat restoration wherever it is welcome to run. It needs steadily moist ground through the growing season and performs poorly where summers turn long, hot and humid, so it belongs in wet meadow, prairie or riparian settings rather than anywhere that dries out.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 4–7
- Soil
- Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Well-Drained · Moist
Vertical layer
Groundcover- Soil pH
- 7–8
- Plant type
- Perennial
- Mature height
- 6–12 in
- Mature spread
- 12–36 in
- Plant spacing
- 12–18 in
- Root type
- Stolon
- Spread pattern
- Root
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The deeper layer
Plan what comes next.
- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
- Locked ecological function
- Byproduct
- Locked ecological function
Behind the record
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