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Reichardia picroides

Common name:	French Scorzonera	Family:	Compositae
Author:	(L.)Roth.	Botanical references:	50, 200
Synonyms:	Reichardia macrophylla, Picridium vulgare
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. Europe.
Habitat:	Cultivated soil and waste places[50].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	5	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Common Brighteyes [P,B],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.45m by 0.3m . It is hardy to zone 8 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from April to August, and the seeds ripen from June to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 5/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

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

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, By Walls, By North Wall, By East Wall.

Edible Uses

Leaves Root.

Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 27, 37, 52, 105]. Mild and good[37]. A pleasant agreeable flavour with a slight sweetness and very little fibre, it makes a very acceptable lettuce substitute and we use it in large quantities in salads[K]. The older leaves seem to be even nicer, even when the plant is in flower[K].
Root - raw or cooked[2, 177, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Easily grown in any moderately fertile well-drained soil in a sunny position[200]. Grows best in a shady position in summer[37], where it will produce better quality leaves[K]. It prefers plenty of moisture in the growing season[200], though it is fairly drought tolerant once established[K]. Plants are very tolerant of poor soils[K].
This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10° c[200]. It is likely to be hardier when grown in a soil on the poor soil, though the leaves will not be so tender nor so freely produced[K]. Plants are also likely to be hardier in well-drained soils and dislike very wet weather[K].
Plants are often short-lived, though they are self-sowing quite freely in &ndndndnd[K].
A very easily grown plant, it has also proved to be almost totally slug-proof, even in a very heavily slug-infested garden[K].
Formerly cultivated as a cut and come again salad crop in S. Europe[27, 37], producing a harvestable yield within 10 weeks of sowing the seed[K]. This plant is possibly useful as a winter salad crop, growing in a sunny fairly sheltered position in &ndndndnd it has been yielding very well and continuously for a period of 18 months since the summer of 1993[K]. It requires more investigation[K].

Propagation

Seed - sow March/April in a warm position outdoors and then in succession if required until the autumn. Only just cover the seed. Germination is usually very good and quick. We usually make a sowing in the spring in the greenhouse, pricking out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle, and then planting them out in late spring or early summer. Established plants can self-sow quite freely in disturbed ground.

Suppliers

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

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

Web References

[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

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.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[52] Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.

[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.

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
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.