Herb: Wild Spaniard


Latin name: Aciphylla colensoi


Family: Umbelliferae



Edible parts of Wild Spaniard:

Root - cooked. Aromatic. The plant yields a resin that is used as a chewing gum. Shoots. No further details.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Perennial

Height:
90 cm
(2 feet)

Habitat of the herb:

Montane to sub-alpine altitudes in North and South Islands between latitudes 38 and 43° 30' south.

Propagation of Wild Spaniard:

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe. Stored seed should be sown in a greenhouse in late winter or early spring. Germination can be very slow. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter before planting them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.

Cultivation of the herb:

Montane to sub-alpine altitudes in North and South Islands between latitudes 38 and 43° 30' south.

Medicinal use of Wild Spaniard:

None known

Known hazards of Aciphylla colensoi:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.