Practical
Plants

Matthiola incana

Stock

an annual or perennial member of the Matthiola genus in the family Brassicaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual, perennial
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
0.6 m
Spread
0.3 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees, Lepidoptera, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Lepidoptera, Self

Uses

Edible uses

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

Flowers - eaten as a vegetable or used as a garnish, especially with sweet desserts[6]. Highly fragrant[6]. Seedpods[2][6]. Used as a famine food when all else fails[5].

Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seedpod

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 seeds are aphrodisiac, bitter, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant, stomachic and tonic[9]. An infusion has been used in the treatment of cancer and when mixed with wine it has been used as an antidote to poisonous bites[9].

Product or use
Antidote
Product or use
Aphrodisiac
Product or use
Bitter
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Stimulant
Product or use
Stomachic
Product or use
Tonic

Material uses

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

A dark blue or purple dye is obtained from the flowers[3].

Product or use
Dye

Environment

Range
S. Europe. Possibly native to S. England.
Habitat
Sea cliffs and as an escape from cultivation, avoiding acid soils[4]. Rocky and sandy places by the sea[11].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind, maritime exposure
Wind
Yes
Maritime
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse[1]. Germination usually takes place within 2 weeks. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. The seed can also be sown outdoors in situ in mid to late spring.

Cultivation

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

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. Prefers a fertile neutral or slightly alkaline soil in full sun[8]. Plants grow best in a sandy soil in a warm, sheltered position[11]. A very ornamental plant[1], it is also a good butterfly plant[4]. Plants are usually biennial or short-lived perennials and are normally grown as annuals in the garden[7]. The wild plant is a perennial with an almost shrubby nature. Garden forms have been bred to have annual or biennial characteristics[11]. The flowers have a strong sweet scent[10].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  3. Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants. MacMillan Publishing Co. New York. 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-02-544950-8

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

    ↩1↩2

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

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  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩

  8. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

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  9. 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

  10. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩

  11. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-330-37376-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

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