Practical
Plants

Picris hieracioides

Hawkweed Ox-Tongue

a biennial or perennial member of the Picris genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Picris
Life cycle
biennial, perennial
Height
0.9 m
Spread
0.3 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees, Flies, Self, Apomictic
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Flies, Self, Apomictic

Uses

Edible uses

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

Young leaves - raw or cooked as a pot-herb[4][8][1]. Not wonderful raw, they are slightly better cooked[3]. A rather bitter flavour[K].

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 bitter leaves have been used as a febrifuge[6]. The plant is mixed with Swertia pedicellata and pounded to a paste thn applied to the forehead to treat headaches[7].

Product or use
Febrifuge

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to Spain, the Balkans, W. and C. Asia.
Habitat
Grassland and waysides on calcareous soils[2].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very 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 in situ, only just covering the seed. Germination should take place quite quickly.

Cultivation

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

Prefers a dryish soil but succeeds in most soils[5]. Dislikes shade. Wild plants are an indicator of calcareous soils[5]. Seed is often produced apomictically[2]. Any seedlings from this seed will be genetically identical to the parent plant.

References

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

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

  3. Crowe. A. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-340-508302

    ↩

  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

    ↩1↩2

  6. 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

    ↩

  7. Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-527-6

    ↩

  8. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩

Edit this page