Scandix pecten-veneris
Shepherd's Needle
an annual member of the Scandix genus in the family Umbelliferae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Umbelliferae
- Genus
- Scandix
- Life cycle
- annual
- Height
- 0.5 m
- Fertility
- Self fertile, Insects
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Insects
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Young stem tops - raw or cooked[4][5]. Used in salads or as a pot-herb[3], they are much esteemed[1].
- Plant part
- Stem
Environment
- Range
- Europe, including Britain, south and east from Sweden to the Mediterranean and western Himalayas.
- Habitat
- A weed of arable land, avoiding acid soils and shady positions[2].
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- neutral, alkaline
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - sow in situ in spring or late summer.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
See the plants native habitat for ideas on its cultivation needs.
References
Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00
Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00
Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202