Sweet Flag Foliage

Walt Whitman enjoyed the effects of Acorus Calamus root during long walks in the country and wrote affectionately of it in a lot of of his poems. It was a general ingredient throughout the middle ages in European witches "flying brews." Sweet flag has been used for 2,000 years worldwide to treat definite health problems. Ayurvedic medicine uses this herb mostly for digestive disorders. Native Americans of the Cree tribe chewed the plant’s roots throughout religious ceremonies for stimulant, euphoric and hallucinogenic effects. They also use this plant as a painkiller and to treat diabetes. Western herbalists advised sweet flag to quiet intestinal spasms.

The sweetflag (Acorus americanus) is normally described as a perpetual Forb or herb. This Monocot (monocotyledon) is local to the U.S. (United States) and has its most lively enlargement period in the Spring and Summer . The Sweetflag has Green foliage and not noticeable Yellow flowers, with inconspicuous Green fruits or seeds. The maximum bloom is typically observed in the Late Spring, with fruit and seed production starting in the Summer and continuing until Fall. Leaves are retained year to year. The Sweetflag has a modest life span relative to most other plant species and a Moderate growth rate. At maturity, the typical Sweetflag will reach up to 3.9 feet high, with a maximum height at 20 years of 3.9 feet.

The Sweetflag is easily found in nurseries, garden stores and other plant dealers and distributors. It can be propagated by Sprigs. It has a Slow ability to spread through seed production and the seedlings have High vigor. Note that cold stratification is not required for seed germination and the plant cannot survive exposure to temperatures below -38°F. Sweetflag has None broadmindedness to drought and restricted water environment.