Conopodium majus - Pignut

Family:	Umbelliferae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.3
Synonyms:	C. denudatum. Bunium flexuosum.
Range:	Europe, including Britain, from Norway to Spain, east to Italy and Corsica.

Conopodium majus (Pignut) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.3m . It has a hardness rating of 0and is vunerable to frost.
Pignut will flower in November to December. the seeds ripen from January to February
The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by Insects

Soil Information

Pignut will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is not necessary for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
Pignut prefers moist soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Pignut can grow in semi or areas with no shade.

Woods, hedgerows and fields. It is never found on alkaline soils[12].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Grows within a woodland garden
• Grows on a sunny edge
• Works within dappled Shade
• Grows in a shady edge
• Can be planted in Cultivated Beds
• Will grow in a hedge row

Cultivation Details

Never found on alkaline soils in the wild[12]. See the plants native habitat for other ideas on its cultivation needs. This species responds to cultivation by producing larger tubers[115]. With careful selective breeding it is probably possible to produce a much more productive plant[K].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 3/5
Tubers - raw or cooked[2, 5, 12, 17, 63, 100]. A very pleasant food with a flavour somewhat between a sweet potato and hazelnuts, with a hot aftertaste of radish[115, 183, K]. We have never detected this hot aftertaste, and feel that the flavour is reminiscent of brazil nuts[K]. There is only one tuber on each plant, this is rather small and difficult to harvest, but the size could probably be increased by cultivation[115, K].

• Root - includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 0/5
None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Germination is usually quick and good[K]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out when in early summer. It is also possible to sow in situ, though this requires a lot more seed to produce the same amount of plants from a protected sowing. Division in late summer as the plant dies down.

Known Hazards

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

Flora of the British Isles.
Clapham, Tootin and Warburg.
Author: Clapham, Tootin and Warburg.
Rating:
Publisher : A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
Date of Publication : 1962

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