Herb: Saw-Wort


Latin name: Serratula tinctoria


Family: Compositae



Medicinal use of Saw-Wort:

Astringent, vulnerary.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
100 cm
(3 1/4 foot)

Flowering:
July to
September

Habitat of the herb:

Wood margins, clearings, rides and open grasslands on moist basic soils over limestone or chalk.

Edible parts of Saw-Wort:

Young leaves and flower buds? - cooked. This report was for Hemistepta lyrata, which is said in the same report to be a synonym for this species.

Other uses of the herb:

A fine yellow dye is obtained from the juice of the plant, it is very durable.

Propagation of Saw-Wort:

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Make sure the compost does not dry out. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer if they have grown sufficiently. Otherwise, grow them on in the greenhouse or cold frame for their first winter and plant them out the following year after the last expected frosts. Division in spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer.

Cultivation of the herb:

Wood margins, clearings, rides and open grasslands on moist basic soils over limestone or chalk.

Known hazards of Serratula tinctoria:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.