Practical
Plants

Nigella damascena

Love-In-A-Mist

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Nigella
Life cycle
annual
Height
0.6 m
Spread
0.2 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. Normally used as a condiment[6][10][11][2], it has a nutmeg flavour[4].

Product or use
Condiment
Plant part
Seed

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.

Expectorant[4].

Product or use
Expectorant

Material uses

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

An essential oil distilled from the plant is used in perfumery and lipsticks[8]. The seed contains about 43.5% fatty oil, consisting of 97% total fatty acids of which 30% is free fatty acid[9]. No uses of this oil are given in the report.

Product or use
Essential
Product or use
Oil

Environment

Range
Europe - Mediterranean. A rare casual in Britain.
Habitat
Stony, sunny positions.
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[7].

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][3]. A very ornamental plant[1], there are some named varieties[5]. Plants are fast-growing[5] and often self-sow if the ground is disturbed by some means such as hoeing[K]. The flowers are very attractive to bees[3]. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby plants, especially legumes[12].

References

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218

    ↩

  3. International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association. 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  4. Niebuhr. A. D. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America. 1970-00-00

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  8. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩

  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

    ↩

  10. Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8

    ↩

  11. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩

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