Common cornsalad
Scientific Name: Valerianella locusta (L.) Laterr.
Family: Valerianaceae
MORPHOLOGY
Habit and Size: Annual herbaceous plant, 10-30 cm tall, with a taproot.
Stem: Erect, dichotomous, striated, narrowly winged, and scabrous with cilia.
Leaves: Tender green, uninervate, spatulate, with entire margins; basal leaves are petiolate, 1-3 cm wide and 4-7 cm long, disappearing as the stem grows; upper leaves are reduced, sessile, opposite, with an elliptic-spatulate blade.
Flowers: Inflorescence with two main branches ending in contracted cymes, borne on linear-spatulate, obtuse, ciliate bracts; flowers are hermaphroditic, pentamerous, actinomorphic, gamopetalous, 1.5-2 mm; petals range from white to blue. Blooms from March to May.
Fruits and Seeds: The fruit is an ovoid, laterally compressed nutlet, glabrous, with 3-4 transverse ribs.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
Present throughout Italy, commonly found as a weed in gardens, vegetable plots, and cultivated fields from 0 to 1,400 meters.
USE
It shares some properties with Valeriana officinalis, albeit in a milder form: depurative, emollient, and laxative. It is very rich in vitamin A. Before using any plant-derived product (medicinal or non-medicinal) for therapeutic or similar purposes, it is always advisable to consult a physician. The cultivation of Valerianella locusta likely began in Italy. It is a relatively recent cultivation dating back to the late Middle Ages. It is generally grown and marketed for its leaves, which are consumed raw in salads (also known as “lamb’s lettuce” or “corn salad”).
Photo Credits: Licensed freely from Saxifraga and Ed Stikvoort, Willem van Kruijsbergen, Rutger Barendse.
