Practical
Plants

Nigella arvensis

Wild Fennel

an annual member of the Nigella genus in the family Ranunculaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Nigella
Life cycle
annual
Height
0.3 m
Fertility
Bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Edible uses

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

Seed - raw or cooked. It is normally used as a flavouring on cakes, bread etc[4][2][3].

Product or use
Condiment
Plant part
Seed

Environment

Range
Europe - Mediterranean, to W. Asia. A rare casual in Britain.
Habitat
Cornfields and dry hills on calcareous soils[6][8].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
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 or early autumn in situ[1]. The autumn sowing might not be successful in harsh winters. Plants can be transplanted if necessary[5].

Cultivation

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

An easily grown plant, succeeding in any good garden soil, preferring a sunny position[1]. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[7].

References

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  4. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

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

    ↩

  6. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩

  7. Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-584-10141-4

    ↩

  8. Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1

    ↩

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