Valeriana cornucopiae
L.
Caprifoliaceae
Fedia cornucopiae (L.) Gaertn.
Fedia graeca Dufr.
Fedia incrassata Moench
Fedia langei Pomel
Fedia scorpioides Dufr.
Mitrophora cornucopiae (L.) Raf.
Valeriana ringens Salisb.
Valerianella cornucopiae (L.) Loisel.
Common Name: House of Plenty
General Information
Valeriana cornucopiae is an erect, branched annual plant that can grow up to 30cm tall[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and has sometimes been cultivated as a substitute for corn salad[
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.
,
2146- Title
- Wild food plants of popular use in Sicily
- Publication
- Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2007, 3:15, pp 1-12
- Author
- Lentini F. & Venza F.
- Website
- http://10.1186/1746-4269-3-15
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2007
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
]. An attractive, easily grown plant, it is sometimes grown as an ornamental[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
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.
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Range
Southwest Europe - Portugal, Spain; Northwest Africa - Morocco.
Habitat
Fields and waste places, pastures, rocks and sands.
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Annual |
| Height | 0.15 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Cultivation Status | Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild |
Cultivation Details
Valeriana cornucopiae is a plant of the warm temperate to subtropical zone in the western Mediterranean
Succeeds in any good, well-drained 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]).
] preferring a warm light soil[
37- Title
- The Gardener's Assistant.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Thompson. B.
- Publisher
- Blackie and Son.
- Year
- 1878
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.
] and a sunny position[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
This species is sometimes cultivated as a salad crop[
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.
].
Edible Uses
Leaves - raw or cooked[
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.
,
27- Title
- The Vegetable Garden.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Vilmorin. A.
- Publisher
- Ten Speed Press
- Year
-
- ISBN
- 0-89815-041-8
- Description
- A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.
,
37- Title
- The Gardener's Assistant.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Thompson. B.
- Publisher
- Blackie and Son.
- Year
- 1878
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.
,
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.
,
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 tender leaves have a mild flavour[
2146- Title
- Wild food plants of popular use in Sicily
- Publication
- Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 2007, 3:15, pp 1-12
- Author
- Lentini F. & Venza F.
- Website
- http://10.1186/1746-4269-3-15
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 2007
- ISBN
-
- Description
-
]. The plant quickly forms rosettes of leaves in hot weather when corn salad is not available[
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
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in late spring.
If you have sufficient seed, then it can be sown in situ in the middle of spring[
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]).
]. In areas that experience few frosts an outdoor sowing in situ in early autumn will produce larger plants[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
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Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
