Product Description
Anchusa azurea – Mill.
| Common Name | ,Anchusa, Italian bugloss, Gauzaban, Borage, Borago Officinalis |
| Family | Boraginaceae |
| USDA hardiness | 3-7 |
| Known Hazards | None known |
| Habitats | Sides of arable fields, waste places, roadsides and steppes on stony hills[45, 187]. |
| Range | Europe – Caucasus. An occasional garden escape in Britain[17]. |
Physical Characteristics
Anchusa azurea is a PERENNIAL growing to 1.5 m (5ft) by 0.6 m (2ft in).
It is hardy to zone (UK) 3. It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Synonyms
A. italica.
Habitats
Cultivated Beds;
Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Flowers Leaves
Edible Uses:
Flowers – raw. An excellent and decorative addition to the salad bowl, or used as a garnish. The tender young leaves and young flowering shoots can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable.
Medicinal Uses
The whole plant is antitussive, depurative, diaphoretic and diuretic. It is harvested when in flower and dried for later use. The dried and powdered herb is used as a poultice to treat inflammations. Use internally with caution, the plant contains the alkaloid cynoglossine which can have a paralyzing effect.