Aegopodium podagraria

A perennial herbaceous plant reaching 0.6 m tall and spreading 1 m wide at a fast rate. Hardy to UK zone 5. Flowers from May to July with small white hermaphrodite blooms pollinated by bees and flies. Self-fertile and adaptable to light, medium, and heavy soils with mildly acidic to basic pH. Thrives in full shade to semi-shade conditions and prefers moist soil.

Description

A perennial herb. It has creeping, branching underground stems. It grows up to 60-90 cm high. It can spread 60-90 cm wide. The leaves usually have 3 oval lobes. The flowers are in large compound heads. They can be white, cream or pink. The fruit are oval and ribbed.

Edible Uses

Leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, best harvested before flowering. They have an unusual tangy flavor that appeals to some but not others. Use in salads, soups, or as a cooked vegetable.

Traditional Uses

The young leaves are eaten raw or cooked. They have a tangy flavour and are used in salads, cooked as greens or made into fritters. They are eaten in green soup in Germany. It is used in omelette and quiche.

Medicinal Uses

All plant parts are antirheumatic, diuretic, sedative, and vulnerary. An infusion treats rheumatism, arthritis, bladder, and intestinal disorders. Externally applied as a poultice for burns, stings, wounds, and painful joints. Harvested when flowering in late spring to mid-summer, used fresh or dried. A homeopathic remedy made from the flowering plant treats arthritis and rheumatism.

Known Hazards

The tender leaves can be utilized as a spring leaf vegetable akin to spinach, having been used thus since antiquity. It is commonly used for soup. Young leaves are preferred as a pot herb. It is best picked from when it appears (as early as February in the UK and other parts of northern Europe) to just before it flowers (May to June). If it is picked after this point it tastes pungent and has a laxative effect. However, it can be stopped from flowering by pinching out the flowers, ensuring the plant remains edible if used more sparingly as a pot herb. It has been used as a medicinal herb to treat gout and arthritis. The plant is said to have been introduced into Great Britain by the Romans as a food plant and into Northern Europe as a medicinal herb by monks. It is still found growing in patches surrounding many monastic ruins in Europe, and descriptions of its use are found among monastic writings, such as in Physica by Hildegard von Bingen. As a member of Apiaceae, its flowers may be confused with extremely toxic species such as poison hemlock and hemlock water dropwort; attention to the leaves is required for a conclusive identification.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It occurs commonly as a self sown plant in waste ground in Britain. It will grow in most soils but prefers damp shady places. It suits hardiness zones 3-9. Tasmania Herbarium.

Where It Grows

Albania, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Belarus, Bosnia, Britain, Caucasus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Europe*, Finland, France, Germany,Ireland, Italy, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, Netherlands, North America, Norway, Poland, Russia, Scandinavia, Siberia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tasmania, Turkey,Türkiye,

Cultivation

Prefers damp shady conditions but succeeds in most soils. Prefers a well-drained soil, succeeding in sun or shade. Plants are hardy to at least -15°c. This species was cultivated in the Middle Ages as a medicinal and food plant. A very invasive plant, spreading freely at the roots, though it seldom sets seed in Britain. Once established it can be very difficult to eradicate because any small piece of root left in the ground can regrow. If introducing this plant to your garden, it might be best to restrict the roots by growing the plant in a bottomless container buried in the soil. There is a variegated form of this species that is less invasive and is sometimes grown in the ornamental garden. Plants seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits. In garden design, as well as the above-ground architecture of a plant, root structure considerations help in choosing plants that work together for their optimal soil requirements including nutrients and water. Bloom Color: White. Main Bloom Time: Early summer. Form: Prostrate, Spreading or horizontal.

Propagation

Sow seed in spring in a cold frame and transplant seedlings to individual pots in summer. Alternatively, divide in spring at almost any time of year; divisions establish readily in permanent positions.

Other Uses

Excellent ground cover for semi-wild settings, though it spreads vigorously and is considered invasive in many gardens. Suitable for borders, containers, foundations, and woodland gardens. Use in food forests.

Production

It grows rapidly.

Other Information

It was introduced into Britain as a food plant by the Romans. It is an emergency or famine food. It is foraged and used in restaurants in Sweden.

Notes

It is used in medicine against gout. The young leaves are high in Vitamin C. There are 5 Aegopodium species. It can become invasive.

Also Known As

Anitka, Ashweed, Bishop's weed, Brslice kozi noha, Garsa, Ground ash, Herb Gerard, Naat, Navadna regačica, Podagrycznik, Sanminari, Skvallerkal, Snitka, Snyc, Snyt', Varesnaat, Zevenblad

References (36)

• Abbet, C., et al, 2014, Ethnobotanical survey on wild alpine food plants in Lower and Central Valais (Switzerland). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 151 (2014) 624–634
• Biocyclopedia Edible Plant Species. biocyclopedia.org
• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 11
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 51
• Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 82

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