Vaccaria pyramidata - Cow-basil

Family: Caryophyllaceae (Pink) ^[E-flora]

Synonyms

"Vaccaria hispanica is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft). It is in flower from Jul to August, and the seeds ripen from Aug to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Lepidoptera, self.The plant is self-fertile.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil." ^[PFAF]

"General: Annual herb from a slender taproot; stems erect, solitary, branched, glabrous and more or less glaucous, 15-80 cm tall." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

"Habitat / Range Dry fields and waste places in the steppe and lower montane zones; rare in SW and SC BC; introduced from Eurasia." ^{[IFBC-E-flora]}

Status: Exotic ^[E-flora]

Cultivation & Propagation
"Succeeds in any well-drained soil in a sunny position[200]. Sometimes cultivated for its seed which is often added to wild bird foods[200]. By this means, the plant is often found as an introduced casual in Britain[200]." ^[PFAF]

"Seed - sow April in situ[1]." ^[PFAF]

Hazards

• Saponins
  • "The seeds and other parts of the plant contain saponins[218, 240]. Although toxic, these substances are very poorly absorbed by the body and so tend to pass through without causing harm, they are also broken down if thoroughly heated[K]. Saponins are found in many plants, including several that are often used for food, such as certain beans. It is not advisable to eat large quantities of food that contain saponins. 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]." ^[PFAF]

Edible Uses

• Leaves
  • "Leaves - used as a condiment[177, 179, 183]." ^[PFAF]
    
• Seeds
  • "Seed - ground into a meal[179]. Rich in starch[179]. The seed contains 13.8 - 16.1% protein and 1.6 - 3.2% fat[218]. The seed also contains saponins, see notes above on toxicity[218]." ^[PFAF]
    
• Flowers
  • "The flowers, leaves, roots and shoots also have the same properties" [as the seeds] [218] ^[PFAF]
    

Medicinal Uses

• Plant
  • "The plant is used externally to cure itch[240]." ^[PFAF]
    
• Seeds
  • "The seed is anodyne, discutient, diuretic, emmenagogue, galactogogue, styptic and vulnerary[147, 176, 178, 218]. The seeds are also taken internally as a galactogogue[218]." ^[PFAF]
    Decoction: "A decoction is used to treat skin problems, breast tumours, menstrual problems, deficiency of lactation and sluggish labour[218]." ^[PFAF]
    
• Sap
  • "The sap of the plant is said to be febrifuge and tonic[240]. It is used in the treatment of long-continued fevers of a low type[240]." ^[PFAF]

Phytochemicals

Antifungal:
Shoot - Methanolic extract - 250 ppm-MFC Vs. A. candida ^[Antifungal]

Nutritional

• "Notes: The report does not make it clear whether this is a zero moisture basis." ^[PFAF]

References

• [E-flora] http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Vaccaria%20pyramidata [Accessed: 4/2/2015]
• [PFAF] http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Vaccaria+hispanica, Accessed April 2, 2015
• [Antifungal] Antifungal Plants of Iran: An Insight into Ecology, Chemistry, and Molecular Biology, Mehdi Razzaghi-Abyaneh, Masoomeh Shams-Ghahfarokhi and Mahendra Rai, Antifungal Metabolites from Plants, 2013
• [ThePlantList] http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2456818, Accessed December 31, 2020

VACCARIA - COW-HERB

"1 sp. (Latin: cow, from use as fodder or prevalence in pastures) [Thieret & Rabeler 2005 FNANM 5:156]" ^[Jepson]

Local Species;

1. Vaccaria pyramidata - cow-basil ^[E-flora]

References

• [Jepson] Ronald L. Hartman & Richard K. Rabeler, 2012. Vaccaria, in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/get_IJM.pl?tid=10862, accessed on Mar 16 2014