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Common Name:

General Information

Dracocephalum heterophyllum is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.30 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - Himalayas from Pakistan to S.E. Tibet.

Habitat

Open slopes in dry areas[]. Stony slopes of mountain streams, pebbles, clayey, stony and sometimes sandy mountain slopes[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Grows best in a sunny position in a fertile well-drained soil according to some reports[, ] whilst other reports say that it prefers a cool position and some shade[, ]. Prefers some shelter and a moist but not wet soil[].

Edible Uses

Root - cooked[, ].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow in an outdoor seedbed in mid spring. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 4 weeks at 15°c[].
If seed is in short supply then we would recommend sowing it in a pot in a cold frame, potting it up as soon as it is large enough to handle and growing it on in the frame for the first winter, planting out in late spring.
Division in spring or autumn[].
Basal cuttings in mid spring[, ]. Harvest the shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long with plenty of underground stem. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.