Chenopodium vulvaria
| Chenopodium vulvaria | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Chenopodium vulvaria (common name: stinking goosefoot)
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 plant contains trimethylamine, and when touched it gives off the nauseous odour of stale salt fish[3][4].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa and S.W. Asia.
Habitat: Landward edges of salt marshes and shingle beaches, inland in waste areas[4].
Edibility: Leaves and flower buds - cooked and used like spinach. The raw leaves should only be eaten in small quantities, see the notes above on toxicity. Although edible, the smell of the leaves would discourage most people from using this plant[K].
Seed - cooked. Ground into a powder, mixed with wheat or other cereals and used in making bread etc. 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.
Medicinal: The whole plant is antispasmodic and emmenagogue[3]. An infusion of the dried leaves is used in the treatment of hysteria and nervous troubles connected with women's ailments[3].
Usage: Gold/green dyes can be obtained from the whole plant[5].
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
Also Known As: C. olidum. Curt.
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.