Smooth cat's-ear (Hypochoeris glabra)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Annual
- Exposure
- Full sun
Cultivation
Requires a light to medium well-drained soil in a sunny position.
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a cold frame and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. If you have enough seed it can be sown outdoors in situ in the spring.
Edible uses
Young leaves - raw or cooked.
Medicinal uses
The root is aperient, diuretic and tonic. The leaves are astringent. The whole plant is vulnerary.
Habitat
Grassy fields, derelict arable land, heaths, fixed dunes etc on sandy soils. This is a typical plant of non-calcareous sand plant communities.
Native range
Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa, Syria and W. Asia.