Astragalus glycyphyllos
| Astragalus glycyphyllos | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Meadows | |
| Native to: | |
| Nitrogen Fixer | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Astragalus glycyphyllos (common name: milk vetch)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[1]. A period of cold stratification may help stored seed to germinate[1]. Stored seed, and perhaps also fresh seed, should be pre-soaked for 24 hours in hot water before sowing - but make sure that you do not cook the seed[2][1]. Any seed that does not swell should be carefully pricked with a needle, taking care not to damage the embryo, and re-soaked for a further 24 hours[2][1]. Germination can be slow and erratic but is usually within 4 - 9 weeks or more at 13°c if the seed is treated or sown fresh[2]. As soon as it is large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter, planting them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Cultivation: Requires a well-drained soil in a sunny position[3][2]. Prefers chalk and limestone soils[4], succeeding in grassland[1].
The leaves emit a sweet, aromatic scent when handled[5].
Plants are intolerant of root disturbance and are best planted in their final positions whilst still small[1].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Many members of this genus can be difficult to grow, this may be due partly to a lack of their specific bacterial associations in the soil[1].
Range: Much of Europe, including Britain, though rare in the south, east to the Caucasus and W. Asia.
Habitat: Rough grassy and bushy places[6][7].
Edibility: The herb is occasionally used as a tea[8].
The root is said to be a liquorice substitute[4], but certainly not from the point of view of taste[K].
Pollinators: Bees, lepidoptera
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Many members of this genus contain toxic glycosides[9]. All species with edible seedpods can be distinguished by their fleshy round or oval seedpod that looks somewhat like a greengage[10]. A number of species can also accumulate toxic levels of selenium
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Rice, Graham. Growing from Seed Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan, 1988.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.
- ↑ Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.