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Reichardia picroides - (L.)Roth.

French Scorzonera

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

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.45m by 0.3m.

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

Cultivated Beds; North Wall By; East Wall By;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: 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

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

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 Cornwall[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 Cornwall 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.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: PFAF - introduction, Winter Salads, Plants for Problem Places - North Facing Walls and Deep Shade, Alternative Edible Leaves, The Potted Garden.

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 0 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

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Reichardia picroides

The Future Sun Apr 12 2009

Where can these seeds be bought?

Reichardia picroides

Mk Sat May 16 2009

I acquired seed from Bountiful Gardens in Willits, CA http://www.bountifulgardens.org/

Bountiful Gardens Scorzonera seeds available.

Reichardia picroides

john Sun Aug 16 2009

Bountiful gardens has "Scorzonera" which is Latin name: Scorzonera Hispanica", not the same as Reichardia picroides aka "French Scorzonera"

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