Oxyria Dignya

Description

Common in the tundra of the Arctic grows this densely-tufted plant with flowers which are small and green, ageing to reddish, and grouped in an open upright cluster, before ripening to dense red tufts holding the seeds. This astonishingly hardy plant, to Zone 2 in the USA, has attractive, fleshy, kidney-shaped leaves which are very tasty. Indeed I have eaten these tasty leaves, high in vitamin C, high on the Scottish mountains in the UK where it maintains a foothold.

Sowing Advice

Seeds can be sown at any time but are best sown in winter or early spring to benefit from a cold spell in the wet compost to break their dormancy. We advise covering seeds very thinly with sand or fine grit to about the depth of the seed size. If the seeds do not come up within 6 to 12 weeks the damp seed tray can be given cold treatment in a fridge for about four weeks. They may still take very many months to appear, so please never discard the pot or tray.

Key Facts