Rubia peregrina

Wild madder

Rubiaceae Edible: Fruit, Root - seasoning 9,921 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Rubia peregrina, the common wild madder, is a herbaceous perennial plant species belonging to the bedstraw and coffee family Rubiaceae.

Description

A climber. The stems is woody and square. They are 50-250 cm long. The leaves are shiny and do not have stalks. They are oval to sword shaped and there are teeth along the edge. The leaves are in rings with up to 5 leaves in a group. The flowers are small and with pale green to yellow petals. The fruit are fleshy and green and turn black when ripe. They are 5 mm across.

Edible Uses

None known

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten fresh and also made into jam. The roots are dried and used as a spice. The roots are also peeled and cut and crushed and cooked in recipes.

Medicinal Uses

The plant is abortifacient, aphrodisiac, diuretic, and emmenagogue.

Distribution

It is a Mediterranean climate plant. It grows from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level. It grows in dry soil and in hedges.

Where It Grows

Africa, Balkans, Britain, Europe, France, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Morocco, North Africa, Portugal, Sicily, Slovenia, Spain,

Cultivation

Prefers a loose moist leafy soil in some shade. Tolerates dry soils but quickly becomes scorched when growing in full sun. Plants grown in fertile well-limed soils produce more pigment in the root.

Propagation

Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame, as stored seed can be very slow to germinate. Prick out seedlings when large enough to handle and grow on in light shade in the greenhouse for the first year, then plant out into permanent positions in early summer. Divide in spring or at any point during the growing season, keeping divisions well watered until established. Larger divisions can go straight into permanent positions; smaller ones are best potted up and grown on in a lightly shaded cold frame, then planted out once well established in summer.

Other Uses

A red dye is obtained from the roots.

Notes

It is used as a vegetable red dye.

Synonyms

Several

Also Known As

Elfouwwa, Foua, Taroubia, Vednozeleni brošč

References (5)

Ghanimi, R., et al, 2022, Ethnobotanical study on wild edible plants traditionally used by Messiwa people, Morocco. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 18:16
http://www.botanic-gardens-ljubljana.com/en/plants
Lentini, F. and Venza, F., 2007, Wild food plants of popular use in Sicily. J Ethnobiol Ethnomedicine. 3: 15
Pasta, S., et al, 2020, An Updated Checklist of the Sicilian Native Edible Plants: Preserving the Traditional Ecological Knowledge of Century-Old Agro-Pastoral Landscapes. Frontiers in Plant Science. Volume 11|Article 388
Tbatou, M, et al, 2016, Wild Edible Plants traditionally used in the countryside of El Jadida, Coastal Area in the Center of Morocco. Life Sciences Leaflets 75:28-48