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Trigonella caerulea - (L.)Ser.

Common Name Sweet Trefoil, Blue fenugreek
Family Fabaceae
USDA hardiness Coming soon
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Naturalized on waste and arable land[200].
Range Europe - Mediterranean? The origin of this plant is obscure[50]
Edibility Rating    (1 of 5)
Other Uses    (0 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (0 of 5)
Care (info)
Moist Soil Full sun
Trigonella caerulea Sweet Trefoil, Blue fenugreek


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Trigonella caerulea Sweet Trefoil, Blue fenugreek

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Trigonella caerulea is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). It is in flower from July to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects.
It can fix Nitrogen.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Plant Habitats

 Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves
Edible Uses: Condiment  Tea

Young seedlings are eaten with oil and salt[183]. The leaves and young plants are eaten cooked[105, 177, 179]. The dried powdered leaves and flowers are used as a flavouring and colouring for bread etc[183]. They are also used as a condiment in soups and potato dishes[183]. A decoction of the leaves is used as an aromatic tea and as a flavouring for China tea[183].

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

Other Uses

None known

Special Uses

Nitrogen Fixer

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. Prefers a well-drained loamy soil in full sun[200]. Cultivated in the Mediterranean for its leaves which are used as a flavouring[46, 61, 177]. 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

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Plant Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and then sow in spring in situ.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

Coming Soon

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 it's worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

IUCN Red List

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Trigonella corniculatacultivated fenugreekAnnual0.6 -  LMHNDM11 
Trigonella foenum-graecumFenugreek, Sicklefruit fenugreekAnnual0.6 5-9 FLMHNDM453
Trigonella suavissimaSweet FenugreekAnnual0.3 -  LMHNM20 

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.

 

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Expert comment

Author

(L.)Ser.

Botanical References

50200

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

patrick bill   Fri Jan 17 19:42:29 2003

also used in cheesemaking!!!!

Rick Frye   Sun Apr 26 2009

I grew up eating this stuff - the seeds of which came from a Bulgarian immigrant. We had three shakers: Salt, Pepper, & this magic herb (mixed with some other ingredients) & used it on various meats & vegitables. I have grown my own for decades.

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Subject : Trigonella caerulea  
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