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Summary

Physical Characteristics

Scorpiurus vermiculatus is a ANNUAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in).
It is frost tender. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs).
It can fix Nitrogen.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

S. subvillosus. L. S. sulcatus. L.

Plant Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Seedpod
Edible Uses:

Young seedpods - raw or cooked[105, 177]. A very indifferent flavour, it is included as an item of food mainly because it looks very like a caterpillar and can therefore cause humour at the food table[2].

References More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

None known

References More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

None known

Special Uses

Nitrogen Fixer

References More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will succeed outdoors in Britain, though it should be possible to grow it at least as a frost-tender annual. It is likely to require a sunny position in a light or medium well-drained soil. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[200]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.

References Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

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Plant Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and plant out after the last expected frosts. It might be worthwhile making sowings in situ in April.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

EUROPE: Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), Spain (south), Portugal AFRICA: Spain (Canarias), Portugal (Madeira Islands), Algeria (north), Morocco (north), Tunisia

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so itâ€™s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants

Latin Name	Common Name	Habit	Height	Hardiness	Growth	Soil	Shade	Moisture	Edible	Medicinal	Other
Scorpiurus muricatus	Prickly scorpion's-tail	Annual	0.5	0-0		LMH	SN	DM	1	0

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

Scorpiurus vermiculatus - L.