Salad Burnett

Salad Burnet
Sanguisorba minor

Salad Burnet is a clumping perennial, grows to a height of 40-60cm with pinnate leaves, with pairs of round toothed leaflets. Flowers that appear in summer are tufted round balls green and crimson in colour on top of thin green stems.

The Latin name sanguisorba means to absorb blood and the leaves were used to stop bleeding.

Fresh and cooling with a nutty cucumber flavour. Add the leaves to salads, just run fingers down stem over the salad bowl and the leaves will fall in, no need to tear them they are the perfect size. Add to sandwiches spread with cream cheese or avocado. Yoghurt with chopped dill and Salad Burnet makes a great addition to Indian curries… or if you don’t like the taste of coriander in your salsa’s and Mexican dishes try adding Salad Burnet instead. The leaves can be added to vinegars, salad dressings, butters, cheese and dips. You can use a stem of the leaflets in Pimm’s instead of the slice of cucumber or the leaves can be floated in a punch bowl.

The leaves contain vitamin C, B and A, calcium, potassium, iron and magnesium.

The leaves can be used freshly mashed to help stop bleeding and a leaf tea will stop diarrhoea. Salad Burnet makes a cooling floral water that will revive and refresh your skin in hot or dry weather.

Growing Conditions

Grow salad burnet in a moist, well drained soil in a sunny to semi-shade position. It’s clumping habit and attractive rosette of leaves make it suitable for a garden border.