Wild madder
Rubia peregrina

Family: Rubiaceae

What it is like

A climber. The stems is woody and square. They are 50-250 cm long. The leaves are shiny and do not have stalks. They are oval to sword shaped and there are teeth along the edge. The leaves are in rings with up to 5 leaves in a group. The flowers are small and with pale green to yellow petals. The fruit are fleshy and green and turn black when ripe. They are 5 mm across.

It is used as a vegetable red dye.

Where it is found

It is a Mediterranean climate plant. It grows from sea level to 1,000 m above sea level. It grows in dry soil and in hedges.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Balkans, Britain, Europe, France, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Morocco, North Africa, Portugal, Sicily, Slovenia, Spain

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten fresh and also made into jam. The roots are dried and used as a spice. The roots are also peeled and cut and crushed and cooked in recipes.

Edible parts

Fruit, root - seasoning

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Elfouwwa, Foua, Taroubia, Vednozeleni brošč

Synonyms

Several