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Eryngium campestre

Common name: Field Eryngo Family: Umbelliferae
Author: L. Botanical references: 17, 200
Synonyms:  
Known Hazards: None known
Range: Central and southern Europe, including Britain, from N. Germany to N. Africa and Afghanistan.
Habitat: Dry grassy areas near the coast[17]. A rare plant in Britain.
Edibility Rating (1-5): 2Medicinal Rating (1-5):2

Other Common Names:From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
Cardo Corredor [E], Echte Kruisdistel [D], Eryggion [E], Field Eryngo [H,B,P], Sea Holly [H],
Epithets:From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
campestre = of fields;
Systematics:From a USDA Plants Database
Order: Apiales. Renamed to Apiaceae -- Carrot family
Other Range Info: From the Ethnobotany Database
Greece; Spain

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.45m . It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from July to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies and beetles. The plant is self-fertile. 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 acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Leaves; Root.

Young shoots - cooked. An asparagus substitute[105, 177, 183].
Root - cooked. Used as a vegetable or candied and used as a sweetmeat[46, 183]. Easily digested[7, 61].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antispasmodic; Aromatic; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Expectorant; Galactofuge; Stimulant.

The root is antispasmodic, aromatic, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, galactofuge and stimulant[4, 7]. It should be harvested in the autumn from plants that are at least 2 years old[4]. The root promotes free expectoration and is very useful in the treatment of debility attendant on coughs of chronic standing in the advanced stages of pulmonary consumption[4]. Drunk freely it is used to treat whooping cough, diseases of the liver and kidneys and skin complaints[4, 238].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny position[1]. Prefers a light sandy soil but tolerates most soil types including lime and poor gravels[200].
The plant has deep and wide-ranging roots, it can spread freely in the garden and become difficult to eradicate[4]. Plants should be put in their final position whilst small since they resent root disturbance[200].
The plant is often used in dried flower arrangements since it retains its colour for a long time[7].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in early autumn on the surface of a well-drained compost in a cold frame[200]. The seed can also be sown in spring. It usually germinates in 5 - 90 days at 20°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in early spring or autumn. Take care since the plant resents root disturbance[200].
Root cuttings in autumn or winter[200].

Suppliers

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

Web References

References for eryngium campestre (a possible synonym).

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

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

References

[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.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
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.

[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.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
  Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963

This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Eryngium+campestre
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Eryngium+campestre

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