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Common Name:

General Information

Eryngium creticum is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.60 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

S.E. Europe - Balkans and the Aegean.

Habitat

Fields and rocky places, usually in dry soils[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Bees, Flies, Beetles
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny position[]. Prefers a light sandy soil but tolerates most soil types including lime and poor gravels[].
Plants should be put in their final position whilst small since they resent root disturbance[].
Plants are usually short-lived perennials and sometimes are only annual or biennial[].

Edible Uses

Young basal leaves - cooked[, ].

Medicinal

Antidote - used in the treatment of snakebite[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in early autumn on the surface of a well-drained compost in a cold frame[]. The seed can also be sown in spring. It usually germinates in 5 - 90 days at 20°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in early spring or autumn. Take care since the plant resents root disturbance[].
Root cuttings in autumn or winter[].