Eryngium campestre
| Eryngium campestre | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Eryngium campestre (common name: field eryngo)
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in early autumn on the surface of a well-drained compost in a cold frame[1]. The seed can also be sown in spring. It usually germinates in 5 - 90 days at 20°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in early spring or autumn. Take care since the plant resents root disturbance[1].
Root cuttings in autumn or winter[1].
Cultivation: Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny position[2]. Prefers a light sandy soil but tolerates most soil types including lime and poor gravels[1].
The plant has deep and wide-ranging roots, it can spread freely in the garden and become difficult to eradicate[3]. Plants should be put in their final position whilst small since they resent root disturbance[1].
The plant is often used in dried flower arrangements since it retains its colour for a long time[4].
Range: Central and southern Europe, including Britain, from N. Germany to N. Africa and Afghanistan.
Habitat: Dry grassy areas near the coast[5]. A rare plant in Britain.
Edibility: Young shoots - cooked. An asparagus substitute[6][7][8].
Root - cooked. Used as a vegetable or candied and used as a sweetmeat[9][8]. Easily digested[4][10].
Medicinal: The root is antispasmodic, aromatic, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, galactofuge and stimulant[3][4]. It should be harvested in the autumn from plants that are at least 2 years old[3]. The root promotes free expectoration and is very useful in the treatment of debility attendant on coughs of chronic standing in the advanced stages of pulmonary consumption[3]. Drunk freely it is used to treat whooping cough, diseases of the liver and kidneys and skin complaints[3][11].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, beetles, self
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.