Laserpitium latifolium
L.
Apiaceae
Daucus latifolius (L.) E.H.L.Krause
Lacellia latifoliata Bubani
Laserpitium asperrimum Schur
Laserpitium asperum Crantz
Laserpitium cervaria C.C.Gmel.
Laserpitium commune Mill.
Laserpitium crispum Turra
Laserpitium gallecicum Lacaita
Laserpitium glabrum Crantz
Laserpitium gracile Schur
Laserpitium libanotis Lam.
Laserpitium paludapifolium Mill.
Laserpitium pseudosiler Schur
Laserpitium pubescens Lag.
Common Name: Laserwort
General Information
Laserpitium latifolium is an erect, robust herbaceous perennial plant that usually grows around 80 - 100cm tall, though it can be as small as 40cm or as tall as 200cm[
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 and medicine.
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.
,
74- Title
- Flora of the USSR.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Komarov. V. L.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Israel Program for Scientific Translation
- Year
- 1968
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
,
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
Most of Europe, but absent from north and east Russia, Nederlands, UK, Ireland, Portugal and the Balkans
Habitat
Woods and rocky places in mountains and valleys, favouring calcareous soils but tolerating silecious substrates if the soil is rich in humus[
100- Title
- Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Polunin. O.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1969
- ISBN
- 0192176218
- Description
- An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details 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.
]. Dry, stony places on mountains[
460- Title
- Flora Medica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Lindley J.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
- Publisher
- Longman, Orme, Brown, Green and Longmans: London
- Year
- 1838
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A massive work - many of the botanical names have changed, but the book is still a wealth of information.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Perennial |
| Height | 1.50 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Self-fertile | Yes |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
An easily satisfied plant, it succeeds in ordinary garden soil[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
].
Edible Uses
Root - used as a flavouring[
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.
,
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.
]. It was used by the Romans with cumin in order to season preserved artichokes[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
].
A decoction of the seeds is used in beer[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
].
Medicinal
The plant (part not specified) is stimulant, tonic[
526- Title
- An Illustrated Dictionary of Medicine, Biology and Allied Sciences.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gould G.M.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- P. Blakiston's Son & Co.; Philadelphia.
- Year
- 1907
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A major work at the time, though very dated now. Contains quite a lot of information about medicinal plant uses.
].
The fruits are used to relieve stomach complaints[
61- Title
- A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Usher. G.
- Publisher
- Constable
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
- 0094579202
- Description
- Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
]. The fruits are used as a stomach tonic[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].
The underground parts are used as emenagogue, diuretic, for treating gastrointestinal disorders, heart and liver dysfunctions, pulmonary tuberculosis and rheumatism[
2203- Title
- Sesquiterpene lactones from the extracts of two Balkan endemic Laserpitium species and their cytotoxic activity
- Publication
- Phytochemistry 87 (2013) 102-111
- Author
- Popovic V. et al
- Website
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2012.11.011
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2013
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
]
Applied topically they are used in the treatment of pruritic dermatomycoses[
2203- Title
- Sesquiterpene lactones from the extracts of two Balkan endemic Laserpitium species and their cytotoxic activity
- Publication
- Phytochemistry 87 (2013) 102-111
- Author
- Popovic V. et al
- Website
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2012.11.011
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2013
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
]
The roots abound in a cathartic gum-resin[
526- Title
- An Illustrated Dictionary of Medicine, Biology and Allied Sciences.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Gould G.M.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- P. Blakiston's Son & Co.; Philadelphia.
- Year
- 1907
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A major work at the time, though very dated now. Contains quite a lot of information about medicinal plant uses.
]. It is acrid, bitter and even somewhat caustic. It is reckoned to be a violent purgative[
460- Title
- Flora Medica
- Publication
-
- Author
- Lindley J.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/
- Publisher
- Longman, Orme, Brown, Green and Longmans: London
- Year
- 1838
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A massive work - many of the botanical names have changed, but the book is still a wealth of information.
].
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. 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.
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Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
