Practical
Plants

Bunium bulbocastanum

Pig Nut

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Bunium
Life cycle
perennial
Height
0.6 m
Spread
0.25 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

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

Root - raw or cooked[4][5][1]. A delicious taste very much like sweet chestnuts when cooked[2, K], but the tubers are very small and fiddly to harvest[3]. Seed and flowers. Used as a flavouring[5][3], they are a cumin substitute[4]. Leaves - raw or cooked. They are used as a garnish and a flavouring in much the same way as parsley[4][5][3].

Product or use
Condiment
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root

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.

Astringent[5].

Product or use
Astringent

Environment

Range
Western and Southern Europe, including Britain, from the Netherlands to Italy.
Habitat
Rough grassland and banks on chalk[2].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
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 a cold frame. The seedlings only have one cotyledon[2]. Germination is usually free and quick, prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow on for their first season in pots. Plant them out into their final positions when dormant in the autumn. The seed can also be sown in situ, but this is best done only if you have lots of seed since far fewer plants will result. Division in spring or autumn.

Cultivation

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

See the plants native habitat for ideas on its cultivation needs. The pig nut has at times been cultivated for its edible root[5]. Although quite small in the wild, there is a potential to improve the size of this root through selective breeding and cultivation.

References

  1. Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.

    ↩

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

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

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

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