Houttuynia cordata ‘Chameleon’

Houttuynia cordata ‘Chameleon’ is a small, ground-covering perennial, known for its attractive, variegated foliage in shades of cream, pink, and green.

The leaves are uniquely fragrant – something between tangerine and sandalwood – and ornamental.

In the spring, the heart-shaped leaves appear on slender stems, displaying a combination of green, cream and pink colors.

In the summer, the leaves redden and the plant produces cone-shaped flowers topped with four large white petals.

The leaves are often used in Asian cooking – check out a few recipes for a salad and a tea down below!

👨‍🌾 GARDENING TIPS👨‍🌾:

• • Hoyttuynia prefer moist, rich and boggy soils and can even tolerate entirely wet areas of the garden
  • They spread via its numerous underground rhizomes, and can even become invasive in rich, waterlogged soils.
  • Very hardy and easy to grow, it prefers part-shade
  • They can become more drought resistant once established, though their super powers lie in the ability to handle high levels of humidity and moisture.

The Tale:

Recipe in English: Fishmint Salad

The Japanese name dokudami comes from an old expression that means to control/suppress poison, reflecting the plant’s long history of remedy use, including detoxification and cleansing wounds of infection as well as treating acne, eczema, burns, insect bites, bee stings, and so on.

While the entire plant is considered effective, leaves, stems and flowers are often dried to make a tea or more concentrated decoction for routine consumption.

The tea is considered a diuretic in Japan  = How to Make Chameleon Tea