Heracleum sphondylium sibiricum
| Heracleum sphondylium | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Life Cycle: | Biennial |
| Height: | 6' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Heracleum sphondylium sibiricum
Propagation: Seed - sow mid to late spring or early autumn in situ.
Cultivation: Succeeds in any ordinary garden soil, doing best in moist soils or deep woodland[1].
This species contains a large number of sub-species. This sub-species is said to be free of toxic substances[2].
A good bee plant[3].
Range: N.E. to C. Europe.
Habitat: Grassy places and rough ground.
Edibility: Stem and young shoots - raw or cooked[4][5][6][7]. Used as a green vegetable, when harvested just as they are sprouting from the ground they are somewhat like asparagus in flavour[8]. The rind is somewhat acrid[9].
A sweet substance resembling sugar forms on the dried stems[9]. A great delicacy[10][8].
The peduncles, before flowering, can be eaten as a vegetable or added to soups[8].
Root[5]. No further details are given.
Medicinal: The whole plant, harvested shortly before or at flowering time, is aphrodisiac, digestive, mildly expectorant and sedative[5][6]. It is used in the treatment of laryngitis and bronchitis, though it can cause allergic dermatitis in some people[6].
Pollinators: Insects
Habit: Biennial
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Many members of this genus contain furanocoumarins. These have carcinogenic, mutagenic and phototoxic properties. This sub-species is said to be non-toxic[2].
Also Known As: H. flavescens. Blume. H. sibiricum. L.
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Frohne, Dietrich and Hans Pfänder. J. A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Timber Press, 1984.
- ↑ International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association, 1981.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Sowerby, John. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 1862.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.