Sanguisorba minor

Sanguisorba minor, the salad burnet, garden burnet, small burnet, burnet (also used for Sanguisorba generally), pimpernelle, Toper's plant, and burnet-bloodwort, is an edible perennial herbaceous plant in the family Rosaceae. It has ferny, toothed-leaf foliage; the unusual crimson, spherical flower clusters rise well above the leaves on thin stems. It generally grows to 25–55 cm tall (moisture-dependent; as short as 2 cm in dry areas). The large, long (sometimes 1m/3-foot), taproots store water, making it drought-tolerant. It is evergreen to semi-evergreen; in warmer climates grows all year around, and in cold climates it stays green until heavy snow cover occurs. Plants may live over 20 years, though 7-12 is more usual; it lives longer if sometimes permitted to set seed. Burnet flowers in early summer. Subspecies include muricata, minor, and mongolii (the last from the Mediterranean).

Description

A perennial herb. It can be grown as an annual. It forms clumps. It grows about 30 cm high. The leaves are produced in pairs about 25 mm apart. The leaves are small and round and deep green. They have teeth around the edge. The leaves have the smell of cucumber. The slender side stems droop giving a feather like appearance. The central stalks have reddish-pink berry like flowers. These have long purple stamens.

Edible Uses

Young leaves and shoots are edible raw or cooked, and are best harvested before the plant comes into flower. They can be eaten in salads, used as a garnish, or added to soups, cooling drinks, and claret cups. Young seedlings are boiled and eaten. The leaves can be somewhat fiddly to harvest and may turn bitter in hot, dry summers, though they are usually mild in winter; some people detect a cucumber flavour. On acid soil the flavour tends to be distinctly bitter, while the same plants grown on chalky soil produce a much milder flavour. The leaves contain approximately 5.65% protein, 1.2% fat, 11% carbohydrate, 1.7% ash, and 74.5% water. On a dry weight basis, figures per 100g are: protein 11.1g, fat 2g, carbohydrate 80.4g, fibre 18g, ash 6.5g. A herb tea can also be made from the dried leaves.

Traditional Uses

The shoots and leaves are eaten. The leaves have a cucumber taste. They can be added to salads and sauces. They are used in soups and vinegar. The dried leaves are steeped for tea. Young seedlings are boiled and eaten.

Medicinal Uses

Both the root and the leaves are astringent, diaphoretic, and styptic, though the root is the most active. The plant is an effective wound herb that quickly staunches bleeding. An infusion is used in the treatment of gout and rheumatism. Leaves can be used fresh or harvested in July and dried, with flowering prevented to preserve quality. The root is harvested in autumn and dried. An infusion of the leaves is used as a soothing treatment for sunburn and skin troubles such as eczema.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It occurs in mountainous areas of Europe. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 1,800 m above sea level. In Hobart Botanical gardens. It suits hardiness zones 3-8. Tasmania Herbarium.

Where It Grows

Afghanistan, Africa, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Bosnia, Britain, Canada, Central America, Chile, China, Europe*, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hawaii, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Libya, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Middle East, North Africa, North America, Pacific, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, South America, Spain, Switzerland, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye, USA,

Cultivation

Prefers a light dry calcareous soil but succeeds in most good soils. Plants also succeed in poor soils. One report says that it grows well in marshy soil but this is possibly a mistake. Dislikes shade. Occasionally cultivated in the herb garden, this is an evergreen herbaceous plant and it supplies fresh edible leaves all the year round, even in quite severe winters. When grown as a salad, the plant should be prevented from flowering. Grows well in the spring meadow. Makes a good edging plant in the border. Plants often self-sow, sometimes to the point of nuisance. The young leaves and shoots are best harvested from spring to early summer, before flowering. Salad Burnet typically flowers from late spring to early summer, around June to July (Northern Hemisphere). Salad Burnet is a moderately fast-growing perennial herb, establishing itself quickly and providing leaves for multiple harvests throughout the growing season. Salad Burnet is self-fertile.

Propagation

Sow seed in March/April or September/October in a cold frame; germination takes around 3 weeks. Prick seedlings into individual pots when large enough to handle and plant out in spring or early summer. Seed can also be sown in situ in spring or autumn where sufficient seed is available. Division can be carried out in spring.

Other Uses

Salad burnet can be used as ground cover and in mixed herb gardens. Its extensive root system helps improve soil structure, prevent erosion, reclaim landfills, and restore mined-out terrain. It functions as a dynamic accumulator, gathering minerals and nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form for use as fertiliser or mulch. The flowers attract pollinators including bees, and the plant's foliage provides some cover for small wildlife and habitat for beneficial insects in leaf litter and as ground cover.

Production

The leaves are harvested when very young when the new young ring of leaves is forming.

Notes

There are about 18 Sanguisorba species. Chemical composition: Protein = 5.65%. Fat = 1.23%. Carbohydrate = 11.0%. Ash = 1.72%. Water = 74.5%.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Bibernel, Bloodwort, Cayir dugmesi, Dinjica mala, Garden Burnet, Lesser burnet, Mala strašnica, Meluncedde, Pampanella, Pempinela, Pimpinedda, Pimpinel, Pimpinella, Toper's plant, Zabacia zelinka

References (49)

• 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
• Bianchini, F., Corbetta, F., and Pistoia, M., 1975, Fruits of the Earth. Cassell. p 56
• Biscotti, N. & Pieroni, A., 2015, The hidden Mediterranean diet: wild vegetables traditionally gathered and consumed in the Gargano area, Apulia, SE Italy. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 84 (3): 327-338
• Biscotti, N. et al, 2018, The traditional food use of wild vegetables in Apulia (Italy) in the light of Italian ethnobotanical literature. Italian Botanist 5:1-24 (As Poterium sanguisorba)
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 826 (As Poterium sanguisorbium)

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