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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass Rosidae
Order Rosales
Family Rosaceae – Rose family
Genus Sanguisorba L. – burnet
Species Sanguisorba minor Scop. – small burnet
Sanguisorba is a genus of 15-20 species of perennial herbs or small shrubs in the family Rosaceae, native to the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The common name is Burnet. The stems grow to 50-200 cm tall, with a cluster of basal leaves, and further leaves arranged alternately up the stem.When crushed, these leaves smell of cucumbers and can be used in salads. The plant will form large clumps over time and attracts many different insects. As it seeds freely, it can be quite invasive in an open border, but it is a good plant for a short meadow as it is quite tolerant of mowing. Usefully, in these days of lower summer rainfall, it copes well with dry weather. Although found on alkaline soils in the wild, it is fairly tolerant of neutral soil.
For the kitchen, harvest whole leaves as needed, but wait until the plant is well established, which may be several months. Strip the leaflets off the wiry rachis (leaf stem) and use in salads or sandwiches. The taste usually is likened to that of cucumbers, and burnet can be used interchangeably with borage. The slightly bitter flavor goes well with cream cheese, and salad burnet is especially delicious sprinkled on cottage cheese. Use it in cole slaw and yogurt. Salad burnet is used to make a flavored vinegar, and was once added to claret.
Features
Salad burnet was once much more common in the herb and kitchen garden. It is attractive, tasty and easy to grow, and deserves to be used more in gardens.
The related great burnet (S. officinalis) was once the most important herbal medicine used to stop bleeding, but there is no scientific evidence that it actually worked.
One of the better known recipes that includes burnet is Grie Soss (Grüne Soße = Green Sauce) made famous in Frankfurt, Germany. This sauce includes seven herbs, traditionally parsley, chervil, chives, cress, sorrel, burnet and borage. |
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