Alpine French Honeysuckle (Hedysarum hedysaroides)

Family: Fabaceae or Leguminosae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Hedysarum hedysaroides is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.4 m (1ft 4in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4. 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 and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Roots/Tubers

Harvest Seasons: Late Summer, Fall, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

Sweet and highly nutritious. — Root - raw or cooked.; Sweet and highly nutritious.; Harvested from late autumn to spring, it is sweetened by frost.

Habitat & North American Range

Gravel river bars, roadsides, rocky hills and meadows, 1200 - 2500 metres in the Alps. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)