Practical
Plants

Silaum silaus

Pepper Saxifrage

a perennial member of the Silaum genus in the family Umbelliferae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Silaum
Life cycle
perennial
Height
1 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Edible uses

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

Leaves - cooked[4]. They are sometimes used as an acid tasting potherb[1][3].

Plant part
Leaves

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, south and east from Sweden to the Mediterranean and Siberia.
Habitat
Meadows and grassy banks, avoiding shady positions[2].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - we have no information for this species but suggest sowing the seed in spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer. If you have enough seed then an outdoor sowing in situ in the spring should also succeed.

Cultivation

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

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils and can be grown in the summer meadow. The whole plant, when bruised, emits a most unpleasant smell of sulphured hydrogen which is difficult to remove from the skin. If eaten by cattle, the plant will impart its smell to the milk[5].

References

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

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

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

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

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

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