Osmorhiza chilensis
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −23.3 °C
Cultivation
Succeeds in any deep moisture-retentive soil in sun or dappled shade. Plants are hardy to about -20°c. Well suited to naturalistic plantings in a woodland or wild garden.
Propagation
Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in a cold frame as soon as it is ripe if this is possible, otherwise sow it in early spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Edible uses
Root - raw or cooked. It is considered to be a delicacy.
Habitat
Deciduous Nothofagus forests and moist shaded cliffs to 200 metres in S. Chile north to latitude 31°s.
Native range
N. America, S. America.
Scientific synonyms Osmorhiza berteroi
Same genus
- Sweetcicely (Osmorhiza berteroi)
- California sweetcicely (Osmorhiza brachypoda)
- Clayton's sweetroot (Osmorhiza claytonii)
- Bluntseed sweetroot (Osmorhiza depauperata)
- Longstyle sweetroot (Osmorhiza longistylis)
- Mexican sweetcicely (Osmorhiza mexicana)
- Western sweetroot (Osmorhiza occidentalis)
- Purple sweetroot (Osmorhiza purpurea)