Great Burnet, Garden burnet, Salad burnet
Sanguisorba officinalis

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

A shrub. It grows 75-90 cm tall. It spreads 60-90 cm wide. It forms clumps. It keeps growing from year to year. The stem is erect, naked and has grooves. It branches near the top. The leaves are medium green. They occur in rings near the base of the plant and are divided into leaflets along the stalk. There are 13 oblong to oval leaflets. These have teeth along the edge. The flowers are deep red or purple. They are in dense heads at the top of the plant.

There are about 18 Sanguisorba species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows best in moist, well-drained soils. It needs a protected sunny position. It is resistant to frost but sensitive to drought. In China it grows in damp places from sea level to 3,000 m above sea level. It suits hardiness zones 4-8. In Inner Mongolia. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Alaska, Albania, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Czech Republic, Europe, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indochina, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Manchuria, Mongolia, Netherlands, North America, Norway, Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, SE Asia, Siberi, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tasmania, Tibet, Turkey, Türkiye, Ukraine, USA, Vietnam, Yugoslavia

How it is used for food

The young leaves are boiled and eaten with oil and salt. They are parboiled and eaten fried, oil-roasted, added to soups or preserved in salt. The leaves are used as a substitute for tea. The root and stems are steamed and dried and used for making Mongolian tea. They are also used for brewing. The seeds are used in the preparation of vinegar.

It is a cultivated food plant.

Edible parts

Leaves, flower buds, leaves - tea

How it is grown

Plants can be grown by seed or by division.

Its other names

Local names

Burnet bloodwort, Dinjica, Gurenljigen, Krvara, Oipul, Sudu, Sudun chai, Suji, Suji chai, Zdravilna strašnica

Synonyms

Pimpinella officinalis (L.) Lam.; Poterium officinale (L.) A. Gray; and many others