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Pentaglottis sempervirens

Common name:		Family:	Boraginaceae
Author:	(L.)Tausch.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:	Anchusa sempervirens (L.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	W. Europe. Possibly native to S.W. England.
Habitat:	Damp shady places or by roads and in hedges near the sea[187].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Caryolophora sempervirens[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Alkanet [H], Evergreen Alkanet [H], Evergreen Bugloss [P], Evergreen-bugloss [B], Overblijvende Ossentong [D],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	sempervirens = evergreen; virens = green;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Lamiales. Borage family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1m. It is hardy to zone 7 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to June. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Hedgerow, Woodland, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge, Deep Shade.

Edible Uses

Flowers.

Flowers - raw. They have a mild flavour and mucilaginous texture and are mainly used as an ornament in fruit drinks and salads[8, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a moist humus rich soil in light dappled shade or full shade[200] but also succeeds in full sun.
Hardy to at least -10°c[187].
Plants can self-sow to the point of nuisance[187]. The tap-root is brittle and resprouts readily making eradication difficult[187].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[200]. Sow stored seed as soon as possible in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant out in late spring.
Alternatively, if you have sufficient seed, it can be sown in spring in situ.
Division or root cuttings in spring[200].

Suppliers

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

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Anchusa sempervirens (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

[8] Ceres. Free for All. Thorsons Publishers 1977 ISBN 0-7225-0445-4
Edible wild plants in Britain. Small booklet, nothing special.

[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.

[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.

[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.

Readers Comments

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Bibliography

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?Pentaglottis+sempervirens
This page (US) http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Pentaglottis+sempervirens

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