Friday, October 17, 2014

I thought I was done until nest spring.

Then I noticed a Good King Henry, Chenopodium bonus-henricus,
plant growing in the gap in the concrete by the car bay.
Such small flowers that they only measure 
about 2 to 3 mm in size.
Even with additions to get ehm to 4 times life size they don't show up very well.
These plants were the medieval spinach. Tend stems could be gathered and cooked and were a good subsitence food for peasants and I expect most country folk.
















The tiny yellow dots in the lower picture are the flowers. to see the blossoms larger click on the pic and will will grow to screen size. The plants are very similar in appearance to Red Goosefoot AKA Fat Hen Chenopodium rubrum. However the leaves are more of a lanceolate shape  whereas Fat Hen has a small red flower and a hastate spear shaped leaf towards the base. both plants are edible and the young plants can be treated as salad contents instead of, or added to lettuce
There was a 'natures food' enthusiast who lived in Clevedon some years back, that regularly picked them and ate them when he pulled the tops off as they grew in waste ground..

















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