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Alkanna tinctoria

Common name:	Alkanet	Family:	Boraginaceae
Author:	(L.)Taush.	Botanical references:	45, 200
Synonyms:	Anchusa tinctoria ((L.)L.), Alkanna tuberculata ((Forssk.)Meikle.)
Known Hazards:	Many members of this plant family contain a liver-damaging alkaloid and so internal usage is inadvisable[238].
Range:	S. Europe.
Habitat:	Maritime sands, uncultivated ground[45], calcareous soils[89] and pine forests[238].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Anchusa tuberculata[G] Lithospermum tinctorium[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Alkanet [H], Alkanna [P], Dyer's Bugloss [H], Havaciva [E], Onoquiles [E], Orchanet [H], Spanish Bugloss [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	tinctoria = used in dyeing;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Lamiales. Borage family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Spain; Turkey

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.2m by 0.25m . . It is in flower in June. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Colouring; Leaves.

Used as a vegetable[177]. No further details are given.
A red dye obtained from the roots is used as a food colouring[238].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antibacterial; Antipruritic; Astringent; Vulnerary.

The root is antibacterial, antipruritic, astringent and vulnerary[238].It is used externally in the treatment of varicose veins, indolent ulcers, bed sores and itching rashes[238]. The root is harvested in the autumn and can be dried for later use[238].

Other Uses

Dye; Litmus.

A red dye is obtained from the roots[57, 89, 171], it is used by pharmacists as well as in perfumes and to stain wood or marble[100, 238]. The dye is also used in thermometers[100] and as a litmus to test for acids and alkalines[148]. It can make wood look like rosewood or mahogany[4, 148].

Cultivation details

Prefers a well-drained sandy or loamy soil[1] in sun or partial shade[238]. Dislikes acid soils[1] but thrives in alkaline soils[238]. A very drought tolerant plant when established[200], succeeding in a hot dry position[187], it is a useful plant for dry sandy or alkaline soils[238].
Plants are hardy to about -10°c[187].
This species is occasionally cultivated as a dye plant[61]. One report says that it is cultivated for its seed[46].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring. Fairly easy, they can be planted straight out into their permanent positions if required.
Basal cuttings of new growth in late spring. Harvest the young shoots when they are about 10 - 15cm long and pot them up into individual pots in a lightly shaded position in a greenhouse. They should root well within a few weeks and can be planted out in the summer[K].
Root cuttings in late winter[200].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Anchusa tinctoria (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for the family Boraginaceae.

[CHINA] Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[45] Polunin. O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press 1980 ISBN 0-19-217626-9
A good pocket flora, it also lists quite a few plant uses.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
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.

[57] Schery. R. W. Plants for Man.
Fairly readable but not very comprehensive. Deals with plants from around the world.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
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.

[89] Polunin. O. and Huxley. A. Flowers of the Mediterranean. Hogarth Press 1987 ISBN 0-7012-0784-1
A very readable pocket flora that is well illustrated. Gives some information on plant uses.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[148] Niebuhr. A. D. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America. 1970
A pleasant little book about Greek herbs.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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