Italian Corn Salad
Valerianella eriocarpa
Family: Valerianaceae
What it is like
Valerianella eriocarpa is a ANNUAL growing to 0.4 m (1ft 4in). It is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to July. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained 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): 0.4
Where it is found
Old walls and banks in Britain.
C. and S. Europe. Naturalized in Britain.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Young leaves - raw or cooked. The leaves have a very mild flavour and a slightly mucilaginous texture, they make an excellent ingredient of mixed salads and can be eaten in quantity. The leaves can be available all year round from successional sowings, and will only need protection in colder winters. When grown in rich soils larger leaves are produced that can be used as a potherb.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
How it is grown
An easily grown plant, it prefers a fairly rich light soil. Prefers a sunny position but tolerates some shade in summer. This shade, plus an adequate supply of water, will slow down the plant's tendency to run to seed. Late sowings will benefit from a sheltered sunny position and perhaps some protection in the winter. Occasionally cultivated for its edible leaves, there are some named varieties. It is less hardy than common corn salad (Valerianella locusta), but does not run to seed so quickly in hot weather.
Propagating it: Seed - in order to obtain a continuous supply of salad leaves, it is best to sow the seed successionally from early spring to mid summer in situ. A late summer sowing can also succeed, and this would supply edible leaves in the winter.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds; East Wall. In. South Wall. In. West Wall. In.
Habit: Annual
Hardiness:
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist