Chenopodium botrys
| Chenopodium botrys | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Chenopodium botrys (common name: jerusalem oak)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in situ. Most of the seed usually germinates within a few days of sowing.
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, succeeding in most soils but disliking shade[1][2]. It prefers a moderately fertile soil[2].
The Jerusalem oak is occasionally cultivated for its edible leaves, there is at least one named variety, developed in the Netherlands. 'Green Magic' is a cultivar with a delicious nutty flavour[3]. It can be harvested just 31 days after sowing[3].
The dried flower spikes are aromatic and ornamental[1][2]. The leaves emit an agreeable aromatic smell when they are handled[4].
Range: S. Europe to C. Asia.
Habitat: Waste places, roadsides and disturbed soil in eastern N. America[5]. Valleys, river terraces, around houses and roadsides in Tibet[6].
Edibility: Leaves - cooked[7][8][3]. A popular vegetable[9] (the report does not say where!). The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity.
Seed - cooked. It can be ground into a meal and used with flour in making bread etc[7][8]. The seed is small and fiddly, it should be soaked in water overnight and thoroughly rinsed before it is used in order to remove any saponins.
The leaves are a tea substitute[3].
Medicinal: The plant is antiasthmatic. It is also used in the treatment of catarrh[10].
The plant has been used as an anthelmintic as a substitute for C. ambrosioides[11][12]. It contains 0.04% essential oil, but this oil does not contain the active ingredient ascaridol[11].
Usage: Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[13].
The dried plant is a moth repellent. The aromatic and ornamental flower spikes are used[1][14][2].
The whole plant is very aromatic and is used as a scent in pillows, bags, baskets etc[15][12].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: The leaves and seeds of all members of this genus are more or less edible. However, many of the species in this genus contain saponins, though usually in quantities too small to do any harm. Although toxic, saponins are poorly absorbed by the body and mos
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References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Coon, Nelson. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press, 1975.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Singh, Gurcharan and Premnath Kachroo. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1976.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.
- ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.