Salvia carduacea
| Salvia carduacea | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 8 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Salvia carduacea (common name: thistle sage)
Propagation: Seed - sow March/April in a greenhouse[1]. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer. In areas where the plant is towards the limits of its hardiness, it is best to grow the plants on in a greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood succeed at almost any time in the growing season[1].
Cultivation: Requires a very well-drained light sandy soil in a sunny position[1]. Prefers a rich soil[2]. Plants can be killed by excessive winter wet[1].
This species is not very cold-hardy in Britain, tolerating short periods when temperatures fall to about -3°c[3]. An autumn-germination plant in the wild, it might succeed outdoors in the milder areas of the country but is usually either grown as a spring-sown annual in Britain or grown in an alpine greenhouse[2][1].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[4].
Range: South-western N. America - California.
Habitat: Sandy and gravelly places below 1350 metres[5]. Open grassy places[3].
Edibility: Seed - raw or cooked. It can be roasted, then ground into a powder and used with other seeds as a mush[6][7][8][9]. The seeds can be added to wheat to improve the flavour[9]. It can also be used as a cooling beverage[6][7][8].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
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.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2. Pan Books, London, 1998.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ Munz, David. A California Flora. University of California Press, 1959.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 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.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.