Herb: Italian Corn Salad


Latin name: Valerianella eriocarpa


Family: Valerianaceae (Valerian Family)



Edible parts of Italian Corn Salad:

Young leaves - raw or cooked. The leaves have a very mild flavour and a slightly mucilaginous texture, they make an excellent ingredient of mixed salads and can be eaten in quantity. The leaves can be available all year round from successional sowings, and will only need protection in colder winters. When grown in rich soils larger leaves are produced that can be used as a potherb.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Annual


Height:
40 cm
(1 foot)

Flowering:
June
to July

Habitat of the herb:

Old walls and banks in Britain.

Propagation of Italian Corn Salad:

Seed - in order to obtain a continuous supply of salad leaves, it is best to sow the seed successionally from early spring to mid summer in situ. A late summer sowing can also succeed, and this would supply edible leaves in the winter.

Cultivation of the herb:

Old walls and banks in Britain.

Medicinal use of Italian Corn Salad:

None known

Known hazards of Valerianella eriocarpa:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.