White Dittany, Burning bush, Gas plant dittany, Fraxinella
Dictamnus albus

Family: Rutaceae

What it is like

A perennial plant. It has a woody base. It grows 45-90 cm high and 45-60 cm wide. It forms clumps. The leaves are divided and dark green. They are made up of 6 pairs of leaflets. When crushed they have a lemon smell. The flowers are white and on long stalks. The flowers can also be pink. The fruit is a star shaped seed pod. There are some named cultivated varieties. The plant varies in the shape, size and number of leaflets.

There is only one (6) Dictamnus species. It can burn due to volatile oils without being damaged.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It is frost hardy. It grows on dry stony ground. It does better on alkaline soil. It does best in a sunny location. It needs a moist, humus-rich soil. In Pakistan it grows between 2,300-3,500 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 3-10.

Countries/locations it is found in

Asia, Australia, Balkans, Britain, Central Asia, China, Europe, France, Germany, Himalayas, India, Iran, Italy, Korea, Mediterranean, Middle East, Mongolia, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Turkey, Türkiye

How it is used for food

CAUTION: The roots contain toxic alkaloids. It is used in medicine. The dried leaves are used to make a tea like drink. The roots are used for flavouring and occasionally as bitters in alcoholic drinks. The flowering aerial parts are used for making liqueur.

Edible parts

Flowers, root - flavouring

How it is grown

The plant can be grown from seed. It can also be grown by division of the bush.

It is very slow growing. It can take years to reach a flowering stage.

Its other names

Local names

Gitam, Navadni jesenček, Tarragillo, Timo real

Synonyms

Dictamnus altaicus Fisch. ex Royle; Dictamnus angustifolius G. Don ex Sweet; Dictamnus dasycarpus Turcz.; Dictamnus fraxinella Pers.; Dictamnus generalis E. H. L. Krause; Dictamnus himalayanus Royle; Dictamnus hispanicus Webb. ex Willk.; Dictamnus macedonicus (Borbas) Penzes; and others