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Bassia scoparia Summer cypress (1 Page of 5) The Bassia scoparia plant species is found in Europe to Western N. America. It is a member of the Chenopodiaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Summer cypress. Some home gardeners know the variety as Chenopodium scoparia. Kochia scoparia. (L.)Schrad. K. trichophila. Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses Medicinal | Edible Uses Latin Name: Bassia scoparia Common Name: Summer cypress Family: Chenopodiaceae Author: (L.)A.J.Scott. Known Hazards: Plants contain some saponins and should not be eaten in large quantities. Saponins are a toxin found in many of our daily foods such as many beans. They are usually present in quantities too small to be concerned about and are also very poorly absorbed by the body, tending to pass straight through without causing any problems. Saponins are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in streams, lakes etc in order to stupefy or kill the fish[K]. Mature Height: 0.3 Mature Width: Habitat: Roadsides, ditches and wasteland in western N. America[60].
Edible Uses: Young leaves - cooked[105, 177]. A delicious taste, they are used as a vegetable[179]. A nutritional analysis is available[218]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Seed - dried and ground into a powder then mixed with cereals when making bread, biscuits etc[61, 105, 177]. Very small and fiddly to use, it is also not a very reliable crop in Britain due to its late season of flowering[K]. On a zero moisture basis, the seed contains 20.4 - 27.5% protein, 8.8 - 16% fat and 3.4 - 9.4% ash[218].
For further Bassia scoparia gardening information click on one of the blue links below Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses Medicinal | Edible Uses
The information above has been supplied solely via the hard work and dedication of the team at 'Plants for a Future'. View their bibliography

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