Medicinal Avran

Family: Scrophulariaceae. Found in the Caucasus, Western Siberia, Central Asia, in several Mediterranean countries and in North America. Grows along riverbanks, damp meadows, and shallows.

Perennial with a thick creeping rhizome and an erect stem up to 60 cm tall. The stem is set with pairs of sharp lanceolate leaves. From the axils of the upper leaves emerge long thin pedicels with solitary white flowers up to 2 cm long. Winter-hardy. Blooms from June until autumn. Fruit - an ovoid capsule.

Location: sun or partial shade with moist soil. Plant on a waterlogged bank of a pond. Creeping and vigorous, so it is better kept in a container or its spread restricted. It grows better in the sun in sandy soil, but will grow in partial shade and in any other soil.

Care: regular trimming of shoots that extend beyond the boundary.

Propagation: by pieces of rhizomes.

Uses: for landscaping large and medium-sized water bodies. The plant is poisonous.