Summer Cypress, Burningbush
Bassia scoparia
Family: Chenopodiaceae
What it is like
Bassia scoparia is a ANNUAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in September, and the seeds ripen in October. The flowers are pollinated by Wind. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.
Height (m): 0.3
Where it is found
Roadsides, ditches and wasteland in western N. America.
Europe to Western N. America.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Young leaves - cooked. A delicious taste, they are used as a vegetable. A nutritional analysis is available. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. Seed - dried and ground into a powder then mixed with cereals when making bread, biscuits etc. Very small and fiddly to use, it is also not a very reliable crop in Britain due to its late season of flowering. On a zero moisture basis, the seed contains 20.4 - 27.5% protein, 8.8 - 16% fat and 3.4 - 9.4% ash. In Japan the seeds are used a food garnish called tonburi.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Medicine
Rating: 2
Antibacterial, antifungal. The leaves and fruits are cardiotonic and diuretic. The stems are used in the treatment of dysentery, diarrhoea and dyspepsia. The seed is antiphlogistic, astringent and diuretic. It is used to treat skin infections such as eczema ad scabies, and diseases of the urinary tract. The seed contains harmine, which can have adverse effects upon the gastro-intestinal tract and the central nervous system.
Antibacterial: Kills bacteria.
Antifungal: An agent that inhibits or destroys fungi. Used in the treatment of various fungal problems such as candida.
Antiphlogistic: Reduces inflammation.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Cardiotonic: A tonic for the heart.
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.
Eczema: Used in the treatment of eczema - a chronic health condition that affects the skin, causing redness, dryness, itching and infections.
Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.
Urinary: Treats urinary problems, including urinary tract infection (UTI).
Other
Rating: 1
The whole plant is used as a broom. The green form is used. An ornamental for its red fall foliage. It has also been useful in erosion control on denuded soils. It has been suggested as an agent of phytoremediation, because it is a hyperaccumulator of chromium, lead, mercury, selenium, silver, zinc, and uranium. Bassia scoparia contains higher levels of protein and oxalate than most grasses and fodder plants, thus it also serves as a good forage crop for livestock. When grown as ornamental plant, it is a good choice as evergreen foliage plant for landscapes.
Broom: Used for sweeping the floor etc.
Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.
How it is grown
An easily grown plant, it succeeds in ordinary garden soil. Succeeds in any reasonably fertile light well-drained but moisture retentive soil in a sunny position. A frost tender plant, it is grown as a spring-sown annual in Britain. This species is cultivated in Korea for its use as a broom. The subspecies B. scoparia trichophylla. (Schmeiss.)Schinz.&Thell. is the form most often found in cultivation in Britain.
Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and plant out in May. The seed can also be sown in situ in late April or early May.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual
Hardiness: 5-9
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Plants contain some saponins and should not be eaten in large quantities. Saponins are a toxin found in many of our daily foods such as many beans. They are usually present in quantities too small to be concerned about and are also very poorly absorbed by the body, tending to pass straight through without causing any problems. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish.
This plant is listed by the U.S. federal government or a state as a noxious weed. Connecticut (Kochia scoparia, common kochia): Potentially invasive, banned. Oregon (kochia): "B" designated weed. Quarantine. Washington (kochia, kochia, summer-cyprus, burning-bush, fireball, Mexican fireweed): Class B noxious weed Noxious weed seed and plant quarantine
Its other names
Local names
Burningbush, ragweed, summer cypress, mock-cypress, kochia, belvedere, Mexican firebrush, and Mexican fireweed. Because its texture is similar to caviar, it has been called "land caviar", "field caviar", and "mountain caviar" in Japan.
Synonyms
Chenopodium scoparia. Kochia scoparia. (L.)Schrad. K. trichophila.