Practical
Plants

Hypochoeris glabra

Smooth Cat's Ear

an annual or perennial member of the Hypochoeris genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual, perennial
Height
0.3 m
Fertility
Bees, Flies
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Flies

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Young leaves - raw or cooked[1]. Somewhat bitter, they are used as an emergency food[3].

Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The root is aperient, diuretic and tonic[4]. The leaves are astringent[4]. The whole plant is vulnerary[4].

Product or use
Aperient
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Tonic
Product or use
Vulnerary

Environment

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[2].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral
Drainage
well drained
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 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

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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

References

  1. Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-00-634436-4

    ↩

  2. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩

  3. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  4. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

Edit this page