Common Name:

General Information

Nepeta raphanorrhiza is a herbaceous perennial plant producing a clump of numerous, diffuse or ascending stems from a tuberous rootstock; it can grow around 15 - 45cm tal[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - W. Himalayas from Afghanistan to Kashmir and Tibet.

Habitat

Locally common on open dry slopes; at elevations from 1,700 - 2,000 metres in Kashmir[]. Thickets along streams; at elevations around 4,100 metres[]. Open places, among shady rocks in oak or conifer forest[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.50 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Easily grown in a well-drained soil in a sunny position[]. Plants are bushier when grown in fertile soils[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[].
A good bee plant[].

Edible Uses

Root - cooked[, , ]. An almond flavour[]. Succulent, walnut-sized tubers[]. The tubers are around 8 - 20mm in diameter[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame in the autumn[]. The germination of spring sown seed can be erratic[], it is best sown in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
If you have sufficient freshly ripe seed then it is well worth trying a sowing outdoors in situ in the autumn.
Division in spring or autumn[]. Very easy, large divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer.
Basal cuttings in late spring or early summer. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. 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.