Scorzonera divaricata
Scorzonera divaricata
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in most parts of the country. There is some confusion over the correct name for this species, this name might be no more than a synonym for S. virgata. See [1] which lists S. divaricate. Hook.f. (a different author to the one we are using) as a synonym of S. virgata. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Succeeds in any soil in sun or light shade[2].
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in the greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings as soon as they are large enough to handle into relatively deep pots to accommodate the tap root. If growth is good, plant out in early summer, other wise grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant them out in late spring of the following year. Division in autumn or as growth commences in the spring. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found it best to pot up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a lightly shaded position in a cold frame, planting them out once they are well established in the summer. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Scorzonera+divaricata>
Pollinators
Insects
References
- [1]Flowers of the Himalayas. — Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. · Oxford Universtiy Press · 1984 · ISBN - ↩︎A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.
- [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
- [3]Flora of China — Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. · 1994 · http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ ↩︎An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available.
- [4]Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World. — Tanaka. T. & Nakao S. · Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo · 1976 · ISBN - ↩︎The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
- [5]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
- [6]Rubber: Botany, Cultivation and Utilization. — Polhamus. L. G. · Leonard Hill; London. · 1962 ↩︎A lot of information on rubber production. It also looks at the major rubber producing plants and some of the less well known ones, though not in great detail. It deals mainly with tropical plants with a small section on temperate plants.