Practical
Plants

Tragopogon porrifolius

Salsify

a biennial member of the Tragopogon genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
biennial
Height
0.6 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

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

Root - raw or cooked[7][17][13][14][15][20]. The young root can be grated in salads[2], older roots are best cooked[6]. The flavour is mild and sweet, and is said to resemble oysters[183, K]. The roots are harvested as required from October until early spring, or can be harvested in late autumn and stored until required[16]. Young shoots - raw or cooked[7][2][13][14][15][18][6]. The new growth is used in spring. A sweet taste[9]. Flowering shoots - raw or cooked[9]. Used like asparagus. Flowers - raw. Added to salads[6]. The sprouted seeds can be added to salads or sandwiches[6]. The root latex is used as a chewing gum[19][1][4][6].

Plant part
Flowers
Product or use
Gum
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root
Plant part
Seed
Plant part
Stem

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.

Salsify is a cleansing food with a beneficial effect upon the liver and gallbladder[12]. The root is antibilious, slightly aperient, deobstruent and diuretic[16][10]. It is specific in the treatment of obstructions of the gall bladder and jaundice[11] and is also used in the treatment of arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure[12].

Product or use
Antibilious
Product or use
Aperient
Product or use
Deobstruent
Product or use
Diuretic

Environment

Range
Europe - Mediterranean. Naturalized in Britain[5].
Habitat
Found near the sea and estuaries in S.E. England[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay, heavy clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind
Wind
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - sow in situ as early in the year as possible, in March if weather conditions permit[16]. Seed sowings often fail unless the soil is kept moist until the seedlings are growing well[16].

Cultivation

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

Succeeds in ordinary garden soils, including heavy clays[16][9]. Plants do not grow well in stony soils[16]. Prefers an open situation[15] and a cool moist root run[3][8]. Salsify is occasionally cultivated in the garden for its edible root[7][20], there are some named varieties[6]. Grows well with mustard[8].

References

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

    ↩

  2. Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2

    ↩1↩2

  3. Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-87857-262-7

    ↩

  4. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  8. Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978-00-00 ISBN 0-88266-064-0

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  10. Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-553-23827-2

    ↩

  11. 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

    ↩

  12. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996-00-00 ISBN 9-780751-303148

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2

  14. Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber 1960-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  15. Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  17. Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-00-219060-5

    ↩

  18. Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980-00-00

    ↩

  19. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

Edit this page