Common Name: Annual Scorpion Vetch

General Information

Coronilla scorpioides is an erect to ascending, annual plant growing up to 40cm tall[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and a dye. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental.

Known Hazards

The plant contains the glucoside coronillin. This has potential medicinal application - in small doses it slows the pulse through stimulation of the inhibitory ganglia, and in larger quantity increases the tonicity and contractility of the heart, though in still larger quantities it eventually leads to systolic spasm of the ventricle leading to death by cardiac arrest[].

Botanical References

Range

N. Africa - Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia; southern Europe - Portugal and France to Ukraine, Romania and Greece; W. Asia - Turkey, the Levant and Caucasus

Habitat

A common weed of cultivated ground.

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.40 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a light well-drained soil in full sun[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The twigs and leaves have a similar action to the common broom, Cytisus scoparia[]. They are collected as the plant comes into flower and can be stored for later use. They are diuretic, cardiac, cathartic and laxative[].

A poultice made from the leaves and stems is applied to the bites of scorpions and other venomous animals[].

The plant contains several medicinally active compounds including glycosides, polyphenols and coumarins[].

Other Uses

A blue dye like indigo can be obtained by fermentation of the leaves[].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in late spring.