Salad Burnet
Sanguisorba minor
Distribution:
Central England
and
Wales.
Habitat:
Grasslands in sunny sites. Tolerates
very chalky soils.
Description:
Native perennial of medium
height (up to 50cm) with dark crimson flower heads from May to August.
Uses:
The dark crimson flower heads suggested blood to ancient
herbalists and for centuries the plant was used to staunch wounds and as
a remedy for internal bleeding (sanguisorba = 'blood-absorbing').
More recently the freshly peeled root has been applied to burns
to relieve pain and encourage healing.
As its name suggests, the leaves can be used in salads.
Wildlife:
It is the larval food plant of the Annulet Moth.
Sowing Instructions for Seeds:
Sow seed in
spring or autumn in a greenhouse or cold frame. When the seedlings are
large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots.
Plant the seedlings out into their final position in summer.
Planting in autumn will produce slightly earlier flowering than a
spring sowing.
Our
plants and seeds are of native British origin.
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