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Common Name: Unicorn Plant

General Information

Proboscidea louisianica is an annual plant that can grow up to 1.00 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

Southern N. America - Indiana to Iowa, Utah, Texas and New Mexico.

Habitat

River banks and waste places[]. Naturalized as a weed in Portugal and S.E. Russia[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	1.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Requires a well-drained porous 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. fragrans[].
This species has occasionally been cultivated as a food crop[, ].

Edible Uses

Young fruits, harvested whilst still tender enough to be pierced with a fork, can be sliced and added to soups as a thickening agent[, ]. They can also be parboiled and eaten as a vegetable or pickled in vinegar[]. They are sometimes pickled when immature[, , ]. The fruit is about 4 - 6mm long[].
Seed - raw or cooked. High in protein[] and in oil[].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[].
Root[]. No more details are given.

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

A black dye can be obtained from the seedpods[].
The long pointed seed capsule horns can be used as the black pattern material 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[].