Centaurea solstitialis
| Centaurea solstitialis | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Centaurea solstitialis (common name: st. barnaby's thistle)
Propagation: Seed - sow April in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
If you have sufficient seed it can be sown in situ in the spring, and an autumn swing in situ might also be worth trying.
Cultivation: Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1][2]. Prefers a well-drained fertile soil and a sunny position[2]. Tolerates dry, low fertility and alkaline soils[2].
A good bee and butterfly plant the flowers are rich in nectar[3].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[4].
Range: S. Europe to W. Asia. Occasionally established in S. and E. England[5].
Habitat: Cultivated land and waste ground[6].
Edibility: The plant is eaten as a vegetable[6]. The part used is not specified.
Medicinal: The powdered seed is used as a remedy for stone[7].
The powdered root is said to be a cure for fistula and gravel[7].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, lepidoptera, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: There is a report that the plant causes brain lesions and a nervous syndrome called 'chewing disease' in horses[8].
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Diggs, George and Barney Lipscomb. Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute, 1999.