Common name: Salad Burnet

Scientific name: Poterium sanguisorba

Family: Rosaceae

Uses: Decorative, culinary.Attractive flowers. For culinary use. Use for flavoring. Use in vinegars. Use in containers.

History: The word sanguisorba means "to drink up blood." Salad Burnet was long believed to stop hemorrhages although no modern evidence has shown this to be true.

Description: The small and pinkish flowers are borne in a rounded head. The lower flowers are only male, middle flowers are bisexual and upper flowers are only female. Basal leaves are pinnate with 4-12 pairs of leaflets. Leaflets are 3/16 to 3/4 of an inch long. They are also round to elliptic and have serrate margins.

Plant type: Perennial

Hardiness: Hardiness zone 3.

Height: 6-18 inches

Width: 12 inches

Light: Sun to light shade

Soil: average, well drained soil with a pH of 6.8

Pests:

Disease: None.

Cultivation: Plant seedlings 12 inches apart, cut flowering stems and old leaves regularly. May not transplant well so seed into peat containers; will self seed.

Companion planting:

Propagation: Seed.

Flowering period: May to June

Flower color: purple-pink

Harvesting: Pick young leaves whenever needed.

Garden notes: