Eryngo
Eryngium creticum
Family: Apiaceae or Umbelliferae
What it is like
Eryngium creticum is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies, beetles. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Height (m): 0.6
Where it is found
Fields and rocky places, usually in dry soils.
S.E. Europe - Balkans and the Aegean.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 1
Young basal leaves - cooked.
Medicine
Rating: 1
Antidote - used in the treatment of snakebite.
Antidote: Counters poisoning.
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
Requires a well-drained soil and a sunny position. Prefers a light sandy soil but tolerates most soil types including lime and poor gravels. Plants should be put in their final position whilst small since they resent root disturbance. Plants are usually short-lived perennials and sometimes are only annual or biennial.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in early autumn on the surface of a well-drained compost in a cold frame. The seed can also be sown in spring. It usually germinates in 5 - 90 days at 20°c. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in early spring or autumn. Take care since the plant resents root disturbance. Root cuttings in autumn or winter.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 0-0
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist