Valerianella chenopodifolia

At a glance

Lifecycle
Annual
Exposure
Full sun

Cultivation

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. Its native range suggests that it will be able to be grown as a hardy annual, in fact it might be possible to make a late summer sowing and grow it as an over-wintering annual, but it should certainly succeed from a late spring sowing in situ. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Prefers a fairly rich light soil.

Propagation

Seed - in order to obtain a continuous supply of salad leaves, it is best to sow the seed successionally from early spring to late summer in situ. A late summer sowing might also succeed, and this would supply edible leaves in the winter.

Edible uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked.

Habitat

Meadows, bottoms, fields and roadsides.

Native range

Eastern N. America - southwards from New Jersey and Kansas.

Same genus