Calligonum aphyllum
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −34.4 °C
Cultivation
Requires a dryish sunny position and a sandy loam.
Propagation
Seed - we have no information on this species. The seed is probably best sown in late winter in a greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant out in early summer of the following year.
Edible uses
Young shoots - cooked. An edible gum or mucilage is obtained from the leaves. The pounded root furnishes an edible mucilaginous substance resembling gum tragacanth (see Ferula species). One report says that the plant has an edible fruit. This possibly refers to the seed.
Habitat
Sandy soils in dry arid regions.
Native range
Europe to Asia - Caspian Sea.