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Asphodelus aestivus

Asphodelus aestivus: Flowers
Photo by Ken Fern. High resolution version

Common name:		Family:	Asphodelaceae
Author:	Brot.	Botanical references:	89, 200
Synonyms:	Asphodelus ramosus (L.), Asphodelus microcarpus (Salzm.&Viv.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. Europe. N. Africa. W. Asia.
Habitat:	Rocky places, hills, dry places[89] and on poor uncultivated ground[42].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Asphodel [H,E], Branched Asphodel [H], Cirisotu [E], Royal Staff [H], White Asphodel [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	aestivus = of summer;
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Africa; Arabia; Egypt; Europe; Turkey

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen perennial growing to 1m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 8 and is not frost tender. It is in leaf all year, in flower from June to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 1/5 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 acid, 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.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Cultivated Beds, Sunny Edge.

Edible Uses

Root; Seed; Stem.

Tuber - cooked[4]. Rich in starch[89, 177]. Dried and boiled in water it yields a mucilaginous matter which can be mixed with grain to make a nutritious bread[4, 105]. Boiling destroys the acrid principle in the tubers[4], rendering them quite pleasant to eat[K].
Flowering stalk - cooked[89, 148].
Seed - roasted[89, 148].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Acrid; Antispasmodic; Diuretic; Emmenagogue.

The root, gathered at the end of its first year, is acrid, antispasmodic, diuretic, emmenagogue[4]. It was used in the treatment of several diseases by the Greeks and Romans, but is not employed in modern medicine[4].

Other Uses

Adhesive; Dye.

The dried tuber is pulverized and mixed with cold water to make a strong glue[4] that is used by bookmakers and shoemakers[61, 89, 148].
A yellow dye is obtained from the tuber[46, 61].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil, tolerating partial shade[200]. Requires a well-drained soil[1, 200]. Prefers a deep rich sandy loamy soil[1, 111]. Prefers a sunny position and a soil that is not too rich[200]. Grows well on hot dry banks[42].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[200].
Plants are evergreen in mild winters[200].
Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits[233].
This species is closely related to A. ramosus[187].

Propagation

Seed - sow March/April in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place in 1 - 3 months at 15°c[134]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. When the plants are large enough to handle, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer.
Division in early spring or autumn[111].

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]
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Asphodelus microcarpus (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Asphodelus ramosus (a possible synonym).

[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.

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.

[42] Grey. C. H. Hardy Bulbs. Williams & Norgate. 1938
Rather dated now, but an immense work on bulbs for temperate zones and how to grow them. Three large volumes.

[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.

[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.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[134] Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 2. Thompson and Morgan. 1988
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. An interesting article on Ensete ventricosum.

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

[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.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

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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