Mallow, High        (Malva sylvestris)
(High Mallow)

Family: Malvaceae

Herbaceous biennial or perennial to 3 feet.  Native to Europe and Asia.  The leaves and flowers of this herb, steamed or stewed, are a traditional food of country folk. Space plants 1 to 2 feet apart.  Flowers large, showy purple, with dark veins.  Large, brightly-colored flowers, soft round leaves, with healing mucilage in the entire plant.  Plants prefer full sun to part shade and a rich, moist soil.  Good drainage not necessary.  Scarify seed lightly and sow directly in the garden, or in pots or flats in the spring. 

100 seeds/pkt $2.95, Organic

(Autumn Mandrake)

Family: Solanaceae                    

Hardiness:  0 degrees F

Perennial, native to Europe.  One of the most choice of all true Mandrake species, with easier germination and growth than "officinalis."  Flowers purple to 12 inches tall, giving way to fruits of yellow and orange.  Sow in spring.  Germ within 30 days at 70 degrees F.  The ancients used Mandrake root as a fertility herb, an aphrodisiac, a magical totem, and as a medicinal to relieve pain or promote sleep.  It was also known to cause strange delirium and madness.  The leaves are harmless and cooling when used as a poultice, and I also consider the fruits to be harmless and tasty, but the root is a low-dose botanical that should be approached with caution.  Plant prefers alkaline pH—deep, sandy soils.  Autumnalis does fine in the moist shade.    Flowers are amazing.

13 seeds/pkt $9.95

Family: Solanaceae                    

Hardiness:  0 degrees F

Perennial, native to Europe.  One of the most choice of all true Mandrake species, with easier germination and growth than "officinalis."  Flowers purple to 12 inches tall, giving way to fruits of yellow and orange.  Sow in spring.  Germ within 30 days at 70 degrees F.  The ancients used Mandrake root as a fertility herb, an aphrodisiac, a magical totem, and as a medicinal to relieve pain or promote sleep.  It was also known to cause strange delirium and madness.  The leaves are harmless and cooling when used as a poultice, and I also consider the fruits to be harmless and tasty, but the root is a low-dose botanical that should be approached with caution.  Plant prefers alkaline pH—deep, sandy soils.  Autumnalis does fine in the moist shade.    Flowers are amazing.

100 seeds/pkt $59.00

Manzanita (Arctostaphylos manzanita) seed
Hardiness: to -10 degrees F
Woody perennial native to the Pacific Northwest.  Very tough and resilient mountain dweller with red bark and bright green leaves.  Drought tolerant.  Excellent habitat shrub for small birds and other wildlife, making many twisted branchlets that serve as bird perches, and bearing gobs of flattened, reddish-brown berries that have a sugary flesh and contain the nutritious seeds.  Herbally, the leaves are used to make an excellent astringent wash to treat poison oak or ivy, or other inflammatory skin conditions.  The ripe berries can be rubbed through a screen, and the resulting sugary powder used as a sugar substitute on cereals or in drinks, etc.  Plant prefers full sun and excellent drainage for its roots.  Scarify seed vigorously and plant in the fall for germination in the spring.  20 seeds per packet $3.95

(Maralroot)
(Syn. Rhaponticum carthamoides)
Herbaceous perennial native to Siberia. The roots are adaptogenic and have been used in athletic training to enhance muscle strength without acting as a stimulant. The plant is also one of the major foodstuffs of a northerly dwelling ruminant known as the "Maral Deer" (shown).  Seeds germinate in warm conditions within 3 weeks. Plant prefers full sun and regular garden soils. Very hardy, with showy flowers.   Germination in 6 days at 65 degrees F and very vigorous indeed.  The plants are quite large and should be given 1 to 2 feet between individuals.
30 seeds/pkt., Certified Organically Grown

Maravilla              (Mirabilis multiflora)

(High Desert Four O’Clock)

Family: Nyctaginaceae

Herbaceous desert perennial.  Native to the American Southwest.  Produces myriads of extraordinary, tubular, flaring purple flowers, from a thick, creeping stem with leathery, olive-green leaves.  Root is an appetite suppressant.  Plant prefers full sun, poor and dry soils; elevation tolerant.   Light retards germination. Sow 1 inch deep in spring or summer.  Space plants 1 to 2 feet apart.  Flowers to 1 foot.

10 seeds/pkt $2.95, Organic

Marigold, African "Tururu" (African Marigold) (Tagates erecta), original form
Family:  Asteracea
Annual flower native to East Africa.  This is the original form of marigold from which most new selections were taken.  The flowers have a single row of petals, they are orange and gold, and they smell excellently.  A very good choice for medicinal ointments.  In indigenous medicine, the roots are eaten with oyster nuts (Telfaria pedata) to relieve pain in the sexual organs (one would hope this malady were due to excessive use, not pathology).  Anyhow this accession was one of the main reasons I went to Africa, and I found it growing in several places, but nowhere more abundantly than in this private garden in Kinyasini on the island of Pemba.  The local people were kind enough to share the seed with me, and I managed to get it back to the US, carrying it literally in dugout canoes, tramp steamers, speedboats, and in my baggage through customs (the USDA had a passing interest in it, and then out of the kindness of their hearts let it go through.)  Plant prefers full sun and regular garden soil.  Sow in spring, in pots or directly in the garden.  Grows fast.  Very rewarding.  100 seeds/pkt

50 seeds/pkt  $2.95, Organic

Tagates minuta
(Nematocidal Marigold)(Mexican Marigold)
Annual.  105 to 120 days to maturity.

This is the tallest of marigolds I have grown, reaching as high as 10 feet, and also has the smallest flowers. The herb is an important medicinal, used in Mexico as a tea of the dried leaves and flowers for treating the common cold. It contains thiophenes which have proven antiviral effect. Probably also an important herb for treating influenza. The dried leaves are alse used as an aromatic and harmless tea, and as a culinary spice. The herb also attracts myriads of beneficial insects, although it does take 105 to 120 days to reach maturity. When the herb is composted down into the soil it also prohibits pathogenic nematodes in the soil--it is very effective and very famous for doing this. Mexican marigold prefers regular garden soil and a full sun exposure, little water.
Organically grown 100 seeds/pkt.

Family:  Mallow (Malvaceae)
Hardiness:  All temperate zones.
Herbaceous perennial native to Europe.  A premier healing agent, marshmallow root is nutritious, soothing to the digestion, stimulating to the immune system and helps prevent and repair ulcerations of the gastric mucosa and duodenum. Sow the seed in the spring. It is easy to grow in regular garden soil in the full sun or part shade. The plant prefers regular watering and makes a lot of biomass, both above the ground and below. Every part of the plant, including leaf, flower (and less useful, the stem) and especially the fresh or dried root, is useful in herbal medicine and is truly indespensable.
100 Seeds/pkt., Certified Organically Grown
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Mbuluki (Jatropha multifida) seeds
(Coral Plant, Physic Nut, Miodine)
Family:  Spurge (Euphorbiaceae)
Hardiness:  Protect from frost. 
Tropical woody perennial with milky sap that is used as a flexible and antiseptic bandage.  In Africa this plant is known as "Miodine" which literally means "tree of iodine" because of its antiseptic sap.  The flowers are extraordinary and the leaf is really unmatched for comeliness.  This is one of the prettiest plants I've come across, and best yet it is an easy and extremely interesting germinator (although it really requires greenhouse temperatures or grow lights to give it enough heat to germ.  The nutlets are large, as big as hazel nuts, and they absolutely must be stratified by rubbing through the outer seed coat to expose the white endosperm before planting in fast-draining soil.  Volcanic germ within three weeks.  I haven't planted a dud yet.  Keep warm and in well-drained soil, water sparingly, keep in a pot or if you are in zone 8 or up you can probably grow it outdoors as an extremely attractive, drought tolerant, multi-stemmed perennial medicine chest. 
3 seeds/pkt, open pollinated

Family:  Cucumber (Cucurbitaceae)

Perennial, dioecious vine, grown as an annual in temperate climates.  White Shark is a black seeded cultivar I first accessed from Yunnan during my travels.  Here, we have worked hard to bring this unique variety into production.  Vines are vigorous, fruits are very large (we weighed our first one in this season at 1.2 lbs), high yielding, black seeded, and good in medicine or culinary usage.  Bitter melon is native to the tropics worldwide.  Use fruits before they turn very ripe and orange, slice thinly and stir-fry or add to soups.  Bitter melon is probably the best antidiabetic herb known to herbalist, as it supports the pancreas and promotes secretion of insulin.  Direct consumption, use in cooking, fresh tincturing and tincturing of the dried fruits are all viable methods of intake.  The plants prefer full sun, a long growing season and a trellis.  Insect-pollinated. The one drawback for us is that although the fruits are very large they are also only sparsely seeded.  This means we can only give a 5 seed packet, but given the fat, viable seed and the fact that a single vine can easily cover 10 square feet of area or a ten foot trellis, well, with the blessings of the powers that be, and some care on your part, one packet should yield sufficient fruits for home use.   5 seeds/pkt., organic