Hypochoeris glabra

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Hypochoeris glabra
Light:Full Sun
Moisture:Xeric Mesic
Soil pH:5.6-7.3
Height:1'
Blooms:Early Summer-Mid Fall
Native to:
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating:PFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Hypochoeris glabra (common name: smooth cat's ear)

Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.

If you have enough seed it can be sown outdoors in situ in the spring.

Cultivation: Requires a light to medium well-drained soil in a sunny position.

Range: Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa, Syria and W. Asia.

Habitat: Grassy fields, derelict arable land, heaths, fixed dunes etc on sandy soils. This is a typical plant of non-calcareous sand plant communities[1].

Edibility: Young leaves - raw or cooked[2]. Somewhat bitter, they are used as an emergency food[3].

Medicinal: The root is aperient, diuretic, and tonic.[4]

The leaves are astringent[4].

The whole plant is vulnerary[4].

Pollinators: Bees, flies

Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.

Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Links

References

  1. Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
  2. Cribb, Alan and Joan Cribb. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana, 1976.
  3. Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.