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Ononis spinosa - L.

Common Name

Spiny Rest Harrow

Family

Leguminosae

Synonyms

O. campestris. O. procurrens.

Known Hazards

None known

Habitats

Chalk and limestone grassland, stony hillsides and open pine forests[187], mainly on dry stony ground[7].

Range

Most of Europe, including Britain, to N. Africa and temperate Asia.

Edibility Rating

Medicinal Rating

Care

Summary

Physical Characteristics

PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft).
It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from May to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.It can fix Nitrogen.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. and can grow in very alkaline soils.
It cannot grow in the shade.It requires dry or moist soil.The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats
Meadow;

Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves; Root. Young shoots - cooked[2, 105]. Used as a potherb[183]. Roots - chewed for their liquorice-like flavour[183]. Flowers - raw. They are used as a decoration on salads[7].

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.

Antitussive; Aperient; Diuretic; Lithontripic.

The roots, leaves and flowers are antitussive, aperient, diuretic and lithontripic[7, 9, 13, 21, 46]. The root contains a fixed oil that is anti-diuretic and an essential oil that is diuretic. If the diuretic action is required then the root should be infused and not decocted or the essential oil will be evaporated[254]. An infusion is used in the treatment of dropsy, inflammation of the bladder and kidneys, rheumatism and chronic skin disorders[9]. The roots are used occasionally, they are harvested in the autumn, cut into slices and carefully dried for later use[9]. The young shoots are more commonly used, either fresh or dried[9]. They can be harvested throughout the summer[9]. A cough mixture is made from the bark[13].

Other Uses
None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a sunny position in a well-drained neutral to alkaline soil[200]. Succeeds in poor soils, the plant often becoming spiny in such a situation[17]. Similar to O. repens but this species is not rhizomatous[200]. Mature roots are very tough and the plant gained its common name of 'Rest Harrow' because ploughs and harrows would be unable to break through it (in the days before heavy machinery was used on the land!). The whole plant is pleasantly scented when bruised[245]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[200].

Propagation

Scarify or pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and sow the seed in the middle of spring in situ[200]. The seed can also be sown in a cold frame in the autumn. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in late spring[200]. Division just before new growth begins in spring[200]. Very easy, larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is better to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a cold frame until they are well established before planting them out in late spring or early summer. Cuttings, September in a cold frame[111].

Expert comment

Author
L.

Botanical References
17200

Links / References

[2]Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.

Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[7]Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants.

Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.

Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[13]Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants.

Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.

[17]Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles.

A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.

Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.

An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[105]Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.

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.

[111]Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials.

A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.

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.

[187]Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2.

Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.

Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[245]Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World.

An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254]Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants

An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

Readers comment

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