Cephalaria syriaca
(L.) Roem. & Schult.
Syrian Cephalaria
(c) licensed media from TrekNature DwCA without owner, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
(c) licensed media from TrekNature DwCA without owner, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
(c) Arya Aras, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Arya Aras
What to Eat
Edible parts: Nuts, Seeds, Oil
The seed is ground into a powder and used with wheat to make bread, cakes and similar foods. It adds a pleasant flavour but goes rancid quickly.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate and Mediterranean climate plant. It grows in general garden soils. It grows in cultivated and waste places. In Pakistan it grows between 1,000-2,000 m altitude.
Afghanistan, Africa, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Caucasus, Central Asia, Cyprus, Egypt - Sinai, Europe, France, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mediterranean, Middle East, Morocco, North Africa, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Türkiye,
How to Identify
A tall herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It grows about 1 m tall. It is woody near the base and the stems are erect and unbranched. The leaves are usually not lobed. The flowers are blue or lilac. They are 8-14 mm long.
How to Grow
Seed can be sown where they are to grow.
Propagation: No detailed propagation information is available, but sowing seed in situ in March or April is suggested. A September or October sowing may also be worth experimenting with.
Medicinal Uses
No medicinal uses are known for this plant.
Other Uses
The seed contains 22.6% oil, which is used as a fuel.
Wikipedia
A fast-growing annual suitable for light, loamy, and clay soils across neutral to alkaline pH ranges. Requires full sun and prefers consistently moist conditions.
Notes
There are about 65 Cephalaria species. Also put in the family Dipsacaceae.
Names & Synonyms
Abrepuños, Céphalaire de Syrie, Escabiosilla, Makhobeli, Pelemir
References (11)
- Blamey, M and Grey-Wilson, C., 2005, Wild flowers of the Mediterranean. A & C Black London. p 425
- Ertug, F, Yenen Bitkiler. Resimli Türkiye Florası -I- Flora of Turkey - Ethnobotany supplement
- Flora of Pakistan www.eFloras.org
- Hanelt, P. et al, (Eds.), 2001, Mansfield's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. p 1709
- Joyce, D., 1998, The Garden Plant Selector. Ryland, Peters and Small. p 215
- Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
- Syst. veg. 3:45. 1818 (H. A. Schrader, Cat. sem. hort. gott. 1814, nom. inval.)
- USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN). [Online Database] National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Available: www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/econ.pl (10 April 2000)
- Wiersema, J. H. & Leon, B., 2013, World Economic Plants. A Standard Reference CRC Press. 2nd Ed. p 161
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- Zeven, A. C. & de West, J. M. J., 1982, Dictionary of cultivated plants and their regions of diversity. Wageningen. p 89
