The image, above, shows the full Lungwort plant (Pulmonariaofficinalis), bottom right along with close-ups of the
mottled flowers (left) and the flowers, top right..
| Common Name: Lungwort |
| Scientific Name: Rumex alpinus |
| Other Names: Common lungwort, Jerusalem Sage, Soldiers and Sailors, Spotted dog, Joseph and Mary and Jerusalem Cowslip |
| Family: Boraginaceae |
Physical Characteristics
Pulmonaria officinalis is a hardy, evergreen, Perennial plant, growing to 30cm (1 ft) by 30cm (1 ft) in size. It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender. The plant flowers from May to June and seeds ripen from June to July. The flowers are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by bees and flies.
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Edible Parts: Leaves
 Edibility Rating: 2 
|
 Known Hazards: None Known.
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Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Lungwort along with all the Lungwort containing recipes presented on this site, with 0 recipes in total.
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Lungwort as a major wild food ingredient.
Lungwort, Pulmonaria officinalis, (also known as Common lungwort, Jerusalem Sage, Soldiers and Sailors, Spotted dog, Joseph and Mary and Jerusalem Cowslip) is an evergreen, perennial herbaceous flowering plant that's a member of the Boraginaceae (borage family). The plants are native to a wide area of Europe, and they are distributed west in the Ardennes up to the Netherlands, Denmark and central Sweden. It reaches east to central Russia and the Caucuses and south as far as the Balkans and central Italy. It has been naturalized in Britain. Typically it prefers light soils and dappled shades. Being evergreen and having pretty leaves and flowers means that it is becoming a more common garden pant.
The plants can grow up to 30cm tall and 30cm across, with the leaves being in rosettes. Basal leaves are green, cordate, more or less elongated and pointed and always with rounded and often sharply defined white or pale green patches. The upper surface of the leaves has tiny bumps and it is quite hairy. The surface of the leaves Stem leaves are smaller and often narrower, and are unstalked or clasping the stem. All leaves are covered with hairs that are usually bristly, or occasionally soft. The leaves are often prominently spotted in pale green.
The inflorescence is a terminal scorpioid cyme, with bracts. Lungwort flowers are heterostylous, with two distinct forms of flower within each species; those with short stamens and long styles ("pin" flowers) and those with long stamens and short styles ("thrum" flowers), with the former usually being larger and more showy. The calyx is hairy, 5-lobed, tubular or funnel-shaped, enlarging as the fruit ripens. The corolla is funnel-shaped and consists of a long, cylindrical tube and a limb with five shallow lobes. Within the corolla throat, five tufts of hairs alternate with the stamens to form a ring. The flowers (which are borne from March to May are red or pink at first, later turn to blue-purple during the anthesis, by changing the pH value inside of the petals (they contain a dye that belongs to the anthocyanins and change the colour from red [acidic] to blue [alkaline]).
The plant has been cultivated for centuries as a medicinal herb, as the ovate spotted leaves, following the Doctrine of Signatures were held to be representative of diseased lungs. The leaves are also mucilaginous, which adds to the similarities between the leaves and lungs.
The leaves are edible, though the hairiness means that they are disliked by many. The can be added to salads in small quantities. They can also be cooked at a potherb and the hairiness disappears on cooking. But the leaves do not have a very pronounced flavour. They can be substituted for spinach in some dishes, but as a vegetable the cooked leaves tend to be a bit slimy. Due to the mucilage, the best use of these leaves is as a thickening agent. Use them as a substitute for okra in West African and Cajun cookery.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Lungwort as a major wild food ingredient.
Lungwort, Pulmonaria officinalis, (also known as Common lungwort, Jerusalem Sage, Soldiers and Sailors, Spotted dog, Joseph and Mary and Jerusalem Cowslip) is an evergreen, perennial herbaceous flowering plant that's a member of the Boraginaceae (borage family). The plants are native to a wide area of Europe, and they are distributed west in the Ardennes up to the Netherlands, Denmark and central Sweden. It reaches east to central Russia and the Caucuses and south as far as the Balkans and central Italy. It has been naturalized in Britain. Typically it prefers light soils and dappled shades. Being evergreen and having pretty leaves and flowers means that it is becoming a more common garden pant.
The plants can grow up to 30cm tall and 30cm across, with the leaves being in rosettes. Basal leaves are green, cordate, more or less elongated and pointed and always with rounded and often sharply defined white or pale green patches. The upper surface of the leaves has tiny bumps and it is quite hairy. The surface of the leaves Stem leaves are smaller and often narrower, and are unstalked or clasping the stem. All leaves are covered with hairs that are usually bristly, or occasionally soft. The leaves are often prominently spotted in pale green.
The inflorescence is a terminal scorpioid cyme, with bracts. Lungwort flowers are heterostylous, with two distinct forms of flower within each species; those with short stamens and long styles ("pin" flowers) and those with long stamens and short styles ("thrum" flowers), with the former usually being larger and more showy. The calyx is hairy, 5-lobed, tubular or funnel-shaped, enlarging as the fruit ripens. The corolla is funnel-shaped and consists of a long, cylindrical tube and a limb with five shallow lobes. Within the corolla throat, five tufts of hairs alternate with the stamens to form a ring. The flowers (which are borne from March to May are red or pink at first, later turn to blue-purple during the anthesis, by changing the pH value inside of the petals (they contain a dye that belongs to the anthocyanins and change the colour from red [acidic] to blue [alkaline]).
The plant has been cultivated for centuries as a medicinal herb, as the ovate spotted leaves, following the Doctrine of Signatures were held to be representative of diseased lungs. The leaves are also mucilaginous, which adds to the similarities between the leaves and lungs.
The leaves are edible, though the hairiness means that they are disliked by many. The can be added to salads in small quantities. They can also be cooked at a potherb and the hairiness disappears on cooking. But the leaves do not have a very pronounced flavour. They can be substituted for spinach in some dishes, but as a vegetable the cooked leaves tend to be a bit slimy. Due to the mucilage, the best use of these leaves is as a thickening agent. Use them as a substitute for okra in West African and Cajun cookery.
References:
[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
The alphabetical list of all Lungwort recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 0 recipes in total:
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Page 1 of 1