Scorpiurus vermiculatus
L.
Fabaceae
Scorpiurus purpureus Desf.
Common Name:
General Information
Scorpiurus vermiculatus is an annual plant, somewhat branching near the base, and growing up to 40cm tall[
1548- Title
- Flora Iberica
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.floraiberica.es
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Published in book form, the treatments of the various species have also been released on-line in PDF format. Records entered here are all from the on-line PDFs.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It has been cultivated on a small scale in Argentina as a spicy addition to salads.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
50- Title
- Flora Europaea
- Publication
-
- Author
- ?
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1964
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for Europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.
,
89- Title
- Flowers of the Mediterranean.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Polunin. O. and Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- Hogarth Press
- Year
- 1987
- ISBN
- 0-7012-0784-1
- Description
- A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.
,
1548- Title
- Flora Iberica
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.floraiberica.es
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Published in book form, the treatments of the various species have also been released on-line in PDF format. Records entered here are all from the on-line PDFs.
Range
Mediterranean region - Portugal to Greece; Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia; Macaronesia
Habitat
Fields and waste ground[
89- Title
- Flowers of the Mediterranean.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Polunin. O. and Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- Hogarth Press
- Year
- 1987
- ISBN
- 0-7012-0784-1
- Description
- A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.
]. Grassland in open groves of chestnuts, pine nutsoak trees etc, amongst crops of grapevines and olives, etc., in both basic and acid soils; at elevations up to 900 metres[
1548- Title
- Flora Iberica
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.floraiberica.es
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Published in book form, the treatments of the various species have also been released on-line in PDF format. Records entered here are all from the on-line PDFs.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Annual |
| Height | 0.30 m |
| Cultivation Status | Cultivated, Wild |
Cultivation Details
The plant is likely to require a sunny position in a light or medium well-drained soil.
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.
Edible Uses
Young seedpods - raw or cooked[
105- Title
- Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
- Publisher
- Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
- Year
- 1976
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
,
177- Title
- Plants for Human Consumption.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Kunkel. G.
- Publisher
- Koeltz Scientific Books
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 3874292169
- Description
- An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
]. A very indifferent flavour, it is included as an item of food mainly because it looks very like a caterpillar and can therefore cause humour at the food table[
2- Title
- Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hedrick. U. P.
- Publisher
- Dover Publications
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- 0-486-20459-6
- Description
- Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
].
Various plant parts are used in Argentina as a spicy addition to salads[
1309- Title
- The Leguminosae; A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses and Nodulation
- Publication
-
- Author
- Allen O.N.; Allen E.K.
- Publisher
- University of Wisconsin
- Year
- 1981
- ISBN
- 0-333-32221-5
- Description
- An amazing and comprehensive work, giving a brief guide to the many genera of the family Fabaceae and also the principle uses of the genus.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and plant out after the last expected frosts. It might be worthwhile making sowings in situ in mid spring.
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
