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Common Name: Sweet Unicorn Plant

General Information

Proboscidea fragrans is an annual plant that can grow up to 0.60 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

South-western N. America - Texas to Mexico.

Habitat

Not known

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.60 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a well-drained porous fertile soil in a warm sheltered position[, ].
A frost-tender species, it can be grown outdoors in Britain as a half-hardy annual.
This species is closely related to P. louisianica[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked as a potherb with beans[].
The half-ripe seedpods are cooked and eaten as a vegetable[, ]. They are 8 - 10cm long[].
Seed - cooked[]. Boiled and eaten[]. The soft immature seeds can be eaten raw, roasted or ground into a paste[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The ripe seedpods are used as an ornament on willow baskets[]. The pods are softened with lye and water, split, bent and used as sewing withes in coiled basketry[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a warm greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts[].