Pimpinella saxifraga

Pimpinella saxifraga, known as burnet-saxifrage, solidstem burnet saxifrage, lesser burnet is a plant species in the family Apiaceae, a native of the British Isles and temperate Europe and Western Asia. It is neither a burnet, which its leaves resemble, nor a saxifrage although it has a similar herbal effect as a diuretic. The plant makes up a large part of the turf in some of southern England's chalk downs. It is highly nutritious for sheep and cattle, and in the past was cultivated on calcareous soils for fodder.John Gerard's Herball (1597) commends the plant's properties, and states that it is: "A speciall helpe to defend the heart from noysome vapours and from the infection of the Plague or Pestilence, and all other contagious diseases for which purpose it is of great effect, the juice thereof being taken in some drink...it is a capital wound herb for all sorts of wounds, both of the head and body, either inward or outward, used either in juice or decoction of the herb, or by the powder of the herb or root..."

Characteristics

Plant Type

Herb

Life Cycle

Perennial

Genus

Pimpinella

Family

Apiaceae

Hardiness Zone

4-8

Mature Height

20 cm to 49 cm

Mature Spread

30 cm

Leaf Color

Green

Leaf Type

Deciduous

Flower Color

White

Flower Size

0.51 cm

Bloom Time

Early summer, Mid summer

Planting Time

Spring, Summer

Harvest Time

Mid summer

Native Area

Turkey, Austria, Sweden, Slovakia, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Belarus, Russia, Iraq, Germany, Estonia, Romania, Latvia, Belgium, Moldova, France, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Armenia, Poland, Greece, Ukraine, Lebanon, Serbia, Lithuania, Norway, Syria, Italy, Kazakhstan, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, Iran, Albania, Ireland, United Kingdom, Hungary, Azerbaijan

Tags (5)

Common Names (5)