Conopodium majus
Pignut
a perennial member of the Conopodium genus in the family Umbelliferae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Umbelliferae
- Genus
- Conopodium
- Life cycle
- perennial
- Height
- 0.3 m
- Fertility
- Self fertile, Insects
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Insects
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Tubers - raw or cooked[5][6][3][4][7][1]. A very pleasant food with a flavour somewhat between a sweet potato and hazelnuts, with a hot aftertaste of radish[115, 183, K]. We have never detected this hot aftertaste, and feel that the flavour is reminiscent of brazil nuts[K]. There is only one tuber on each plant, this is rather small and difficult to harvest, but the size could probably be increased by cultivation[115, K].
- Plant part
- Root
Environment
- Range
- Europe, including Britain, from Norway to Spain, east to Italy and Corsica.
- Habitat
- Woods, hedgerows and fields. It is never found on alkaline soils[3].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- moderate
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Germination is usually quick and good[K]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out when in early summer. It is also possible to sow in situ, though this requires a lot more seed to produce the same amount of plants from a protected sowing. Division in late summer as the plant dies down.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Never found on alkaline soils in the wild[3]. See the plants native habitat for other ideas on its cultivation needs. This species responds to cultivation by producing larger tubers[2]. With careful selective breeding it is probably possible to produce a much more productive plant[K].
References
Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218
Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2
Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Howes. F. N. Nuts. Faber 1948-00-00