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Common Name: Italian Corn Salad

General Information

Valerianella eriocarpa is an annual plant that can grow up to 0.40 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

C. and S. Europe. Naturalized in Britain[].

Habitat

Old walls and banks in Britain[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.40 m
Pollinators	Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

An easily grown plant, it prefers a fairly rich light soil[]. Prefers a sunny position but tolerates some shade in summer[]. This shade, plus an adequate supply of water, will slow down the plant's tendency to run to seed[]. Late sowings will benefit from a sheltered sunny position and perhaps some protection in the winter.
Occasionally cultivated for its edible leaves, there are some named varieties[]. It is less hardy than common corn salad (Valerianella locusta), but does not run to seed so quickly in hot weather[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked[, , ]. The leaves have a very mild flavour and a slightly mucilaginous texture, they make an excellent ingredient of mixed salads and can be eaten in quantity[]. The leaves can be available all year round from successional sowings, and will only need protection in colder winters[]. When grown in rich soils larger leaves are produced that can be used as a potherb[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - in order to obtain a continuous supply of salad leaves, it is best to sow the seed successionally from early spring to mid summer in situ. A late summer sowing can also succeed, and this would supply edible leaves in the winter.