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Valerianella eriocarpa - Desv.

Italian Corn Salad

Author	Desv.	Botanical references	200
Family	Valerianaceae	Genus	Valerianella
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	C. and S. Europe. Naturalized in Britain[17].
Habitat	Old walls and banks in Britain[17].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Annual growing to 0.4m.

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 cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds; East Wall In; South Wall In; West Wall In;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves.

Young leaves - raw or cooked[2, 37, 52]. 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[K]. The leaves can be available all year round from successional sowings, and will only need protection in colder winters[K]. When grown in rich soils larger leaves are produced that can be used as a potherb[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

An easily grown plant, it prefers a fairly rich light soil[1]. Prefers a sunny position but tolerates some shade in summer[K]. This shade, plus an adequate supply of water, will slow down the plant's tendency to run to seed[200]. Late sowings will benefit from a sheltered sunny position and perhaps some protection in the winter. Occasionally cultivated for its edible leaves, there are some named varieties[183]. It is less hardy than common corn salad (Valerianella locusta), but does not run to seed so quickly in hot weather[183].

Propagation

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.

Cultivars

'Piedmont'

The plant has long pale-green spoon-shaped leaves[183]. Good heat resistance[183].

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[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.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[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.

[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.

[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.

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