The obscure herbaceous gem
Published on: Sunday, April 05, 2020
By: Eskay Ong
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Stem terminals that run against a wall, which, in this case, is a polybag, tend to grow taller than normal.
Over here in Sabah, apparently there is little use for the Brittle False Pimpernel, and much less still is known about the small little plant that likes to lie low, and grow low too, with an equally low profile.
This is why it is seldom seen, and very, very rarely used in gardening in the local scene. And there is hardly a case of it being consumed as a vegetable, although a dish concocted out of it and stir-fried with garlic, slices of small onion and fish cake, with a dollop of oyster sauce thrown in, would not be a bad proposition.
So, Brittle False Pimpernel should be quite safe for the time being from the greedy hands and hungry mouths of many species of living things. But this article may hopefully introduce some beneficial uses in a number of ways, thus opening more eyes to hidden gems such as Brittle False Pimpernel.
Known botanically as Lindernia crustacea, the plant has a number of synonyms such as Torenia crustacea, among others. It is native to a wide swathe of Tropical Asia and with its wide distribution, it can be found in many regions in this part of the world. The plant is highly versatile and adapts easily to many kinds of soils and environment including moist, soggy and dry to semi-arid conditions, disturbed soils and open spaces, and lands where cultivation has been discontinued. It subsists without problem from the lowlands up to hills and valleys at an altitude of 2,500-3,000m above sea level.
Brittle False Pimpernels are herbaceous in nature and are annuals to semi-perennials in that the older sections may die off while new growths are continuously being produced at the nodes to create a wider and wider coverge. The plant can be found in the wilds in a wide geographical distribution including countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines etc.
A hardly-seen herb
Being a small herbaceous and low-growing plant is one of the reasons why the Brittle False Pimpernel is hardly seen. As a creeper, its unobtrusive and prostrate growing nature adds to its invincibility even in places where it is supposed to be well-established.
No matter how hard its thin stems can be, it can never be erect or stand up to heights greater than 15-20cm, unless with mutual support or if it running up against a wall. In most sightings, the height noted is only about 5cm or 8cm.
Brittle False Pimpernels have a very good branching habit, with lateral shoots growing from almost every node along entire lengths of mature stems. As new fibrous roots are issued from the nodes, this allows for very rapid expansion and colonisation of new areas even though they may be wet or marginal lands.
Generally, roots do not extend deeper than 3-4cm but as they are very vibrant and vigorous in growth, adapting to all substrate conditions is not a problem at all for the little plant.
The heart-shaped leaves have wide, forward-pointing serrations each with four to seven teeth, with the central segment being always obtuse in shape. The purplish white flowers are solitary and are borne on either the terminals or the leaf axils. Flowers are very small, each being about 0.5-0.7cm in length and 0.5cm wide at its labial opening or mouth.
The upper lip of the corolla carries two lobes that appear to be partially fused, while the lower lip has three lobes. The fruit capsules are elongated and oblong in shape, with a diameter of 2-3mm while the seeds are spherical in shape and are extremely small in the range of 0.3-0.5mm in diameter.
Propagation of brittle false pimpernel
Plants of the Brittle False Pimpernel can propagate and extend growth by itself under any environmental condition if sufficient moisture is available. Even on sandy soils or those very marginal, infertile or thin soils, the little plant has no problem multiplying itself freely by creeping and crawling in all directions wherever there is moisture. This is why it is sometimes considered to an invasive plant. But due to a lack of nutrients or its imbalance in such soils, the foliage may appear to be of a pale yellowish green colour.
In the wilds, the plant may continue to expand its colonisation of new grounds while waiting for some organic matter from bird or chicken droppings or even buffalo dung. Even an occasional spray of urine from small kids would do wonders to green up the foliage, much like a very welcome dose of add-ons in an otherwise stale, unappetizing and tasteless staple, as is always the case with marginal soils. These add-ons serve like a juicy windfall that is much appreciated by plants in the wild. Such are the wonderful bountiful benefits from these acts of nature.
With the occasional availability of nutrient windfalls, they help to, firstly, beef up the growth of the plant thus turning them into a greener and more luxuriant ground cover. Secondly, with some light trampling and tamping, the growth of the colony of plants can be made to remain only in a horizontal plane.
This is why most of such plants seen unattended in the wilds tend to remain rather flat and neat with few vertically growing shoots as if a roller has been applied to run over the surface. This is amazing for a plant that grows outdoors without any maintenance.
In the propagation of Brittle False Pimpernel, there is truly nothing to shout about because it is so straightforward and easy that even those who are fumbling and yawning over things in the garden may still end up with a 100pc success rate. All hail to the green fingers! But whether it is green or purple fingers, the plant is sure to grow whichever way it is manhandled or molly-coddled.
The easiest and cleanest way to start a tray or pot of Brittle False Pimpernel is by the use of seeds.
Mature fertile seeds germinate within a matter of a few days and from then on, they grow very quickly. Fruit capsules are easy to notice as they are about 5-6mm in length and 2-3mm wide but the tiny round seeds are microscopic in size, usually measuring 0.3-0.5mm across.
To see the specks clearly, two eyes are required to be precisely focused instead of one focusing to the left and the other to the right. Mind you, the seeds are in tenths of a millimetre denotation, which means that sometimes, a magnifying glass is needed to tell the difference between such a seed, a grain of sand, or a blob of dropping from an ant.
Another method is by the use of cuttings taken from prostrate stems that grow on the soil surface. These can be cut into 5-8 cm lengths and then scattered over the soil surface. They may be rolled directly into the soil or else some topsoil may be scattered over the cuttings to partially cover them, after which they are lightly watered.
New growths from the axils may be seen within a week but shoot tips at the terminals of the cuttings may show growth much earlier.
Once these are growing profusely and thickly, they may be used to fit into selected patterns on the soil surface of pots where they are more visible.
As the new plants are generally very flat in growth, it can thus be used to form a very green sheet of blanket to cover any pot, planter box, or even on planting beds on the ground.
Common uses
Despite the plant being low-growing and hardly seen, it does not mean there is no benefit from growing it.
There are many uses but firstly, the flat-growing plant may be used as a blanket to cover the exposed soil at the base of every potted plant.
Do not worry about competition for nutrients and water as Brittle False Pimpernels are very minimal consumers, which means they are always fit, slim and trim without the not-so-beautiful mid-body sagging bags and bulges.
Secondly, Brittle False Pimpernels can be used as a light vegetable to add variety on the table. In this, it is best to stir-fry it with garlic, small onion, fish cake or chicken meat, with some oyster or other kinds of sauces mixed in.
The dish is likely cause much rumblings and upheaval in the stomach whereby only a double serving of rice may placate it together with a bowl of soup and a couple of cuppas or bottles to wash them down.
Thirdly, it has been used since aeons ago in a number of civilisations where it is used for the benefit of the body. For instance, the leaves are used in a way that produces a cooling effect on the body if a decoction is made from them and then drunk a number of times a day.
Also, leaves that are collected, cleaned and then dried, may be powdered and stored in air-tight bottles to be mixed with rice porridge water and then drunk to aid in the relief of diarrhoea and nausea.
Or the powdered herb may be made into a tea by the addition of boiling water which is then covered for 5-10 minutes before the infusion is gulped in. This may be drunk any number of times a day with the aim of benefitting from the cooling effect.
Fourthly, Brittle False Pimpernel is a common herb that are used in many registered traditional Chinese medicine outlets. A chat with the sinseh or sinsang there may be very eye-opening indeed.
The writer can be reached at [email protected]
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