Kochia is related to Lamb's Quarters and Russia Thistle

Bright Ornamental in the Fall

Immigration brought weeds from around the old world to the new world. Quite a few of them came from southern Russia — the grassy steppes — to the prairies of middle America. Among them was Kochia.

Is Kochia a food plant or an ornamental? Most references say it’s an ornamental because of the fiery color it displays in the fall. But isn’t that a modern view with a full belly? It seems more likely that first it was an edible or a dye plant and only after man moved off the farm did it become an ornamental. It’s also part of the Wild West myth.

Black-tailed prairie dog

You know the myth, tumbleweeds rolling though deserted dirt streets just before a good-guy-bad-guy shoot out. Didn’t happen. Hollywood notwithstanding the Wild West and tumbleweeds were several decades apart. Indeed, two weeds known as tumbleweeds  — Kochia and the thorny Salsola kali, the Russian Thistle —  came from southern Russia and really didn’t make it into the”Wild West” until around 1900. However, late day Navajo did use Kochia for drought-resistant sheep forage… Yes, Indians raising sheep. Don’t see that in Wild West movies either. Besides the domestic versions wild Prong Horn sheep and deer like the foliage, Black-tailed prairie dogs eat the seeds as do sparrows and presumably other birds. No one has really studied that.  The Diacrisia virginica (Woolly Bear Moth) feeds on the leaves.

Kochia seeds made into Tonburi

Kochia  leaves and growing tips are edible cooked. The plant is very salty tasting. Seeds are also a garnish called  tonburi with a texture similar to caviar. In fact it is called “land caviar,” “field caviar,” and “mountain caviar.” In Japan tonburi is a delicacy. Seeds are dried, boiled then soaked in cold water for a day. They are rubbed by hand to remove the outer skin. The seeds are a glossy black-green. Plants produce about 15,000 seeds each though three times that is possible. Distribution is by… tumbling.

Like many members of the greater Chenopodium family Kochia, aka fireweed, burning bush and summer cypress, can accumulate nitrates like spinach so if you avoid spinach you should avoid Kochia. Also called Bassia scoparia it is found throughout North America save for Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and Maryland. In some states, particularly western states, it is a “noxious” weed, as is the Russian Thistle.

Professor Koch

Kochia (KOH-kee-ah) is named for German Botanist Wilhelm Daniel Joseph Koch, 5 March 1771 – 14 November 1849, professor of medicine and botany. His best known written work was a treatise on German and Swiss flora entitled Synopsis florae germanicae et helveticae (1835-37.) Scoparia (sko-PAIR- ee-uh) is dead Latin for broom-like.

Green Deane’s”Itemized” Plant Profile: Kochia

Woolly Bear

IDENTIFICATION: Kochia scoparia: The young plant forms a small rosette. Mature Kochia grow from 2 to 5 feet (60–150 cm) tall, usually branched from the base (Don’t confuse with Fivehook Bassia which branches along the main stem.)  Leaves are linear to lance shaped, flat, generally gray green, covered with soft hairs (Kochia is less hairy than Fivehook Bassia.) The leaves have smooth edges, and alternate, 1/5 to 2-2/5 inches (5–60 mm) long and from 1/25 to 2/5 of an inch (1–10 mm) wide. Stems are sometimes reddish late in the season.  Seeds are egg shaped, flattened, and roughly 1/25 to 1/12 of an inch (1–2 mm). Plants under cultivation are softer and fuller than wild specimens.

TIME OF YEAR: Blooms July through October. Flower head is a spike forming clusters of inconspicuous, green, petal-less, stalkless flowers that grow in the axils of reduced leaves.

ENVIRONMENT: Roadsides, fields, pastures, disturbed places, new crop fields, ditches, floodplains to 5,000 feet.

METHOD OF PREPARATION: Young leaves and tips cooked, seeds cooked. Protein content ranges from 11 to 22%,  decreasing as the plant matures.

“Green” Perilla

The first Perilla I ever had came from a can, just like the kind sardines snuggle in. The leaves were very spicy and were used that way, as a spice. Later in my garden I grew the plant, which reseeded itself. That’s probably why Perilla is naturalized in the eastern half of North America excluding Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Canadian points north and east. Its native land is India.

Green Perilla Leaves

Strictly speaking Perilla is a monotypic genus. (See article on monotypic genus.) There is only one species in the genus, but three are varieties. There are two major forms of cultivated Perilla, green and red though green is the most common escapee I have seen. Those common names are slightly misleading. The “Green” version is green on top of the leaf, and purple below. The “red” version has leaves that are purplish on top and bottom.

Perilla has been used as a salad ingredient, potherb and for its seed oil for literally thousands of years. And while the seed oil is edible  — up to 64% Omega 3 fatty acids — it may not be the best oil to cook with. The oil, similar to unrefined Canola oil, has a chemical that is a potential lung toxin.  The oil also has been used for lamps, which might be a dangerous use regarding potential lung damage. (Unrefined Canolia oil — rape seed oil — was used for cooking in India and a common cause of lung problems.)

According to the Federal Department of Agriculture Perilla has three chemical that are known lung toxin to cattle; egomaketone, isoegomaketone, and perilla ketone, the latter the most abundant and worse. Tests show Perillla ketone also produced pulmonary emphysema in goats, mice and rats. It does horses as well. While humans eat the species with little issue it is best to use any seed oil cold not heated.

In the greater mint family, noses and palettes disagree on what Perilla tastes and smells like, from cinnamon to licorice. I lean towards spicy cinnamon. It has numerous common names, among them Ao Shiso, Beefsteak Plant, Ji Soo, Perilla, Purple Perilla, Shiso, Wild basil, Wild Red Basil, Chinese Basil, Purple Mint, Rattlesnake Weed, Summer Coleus and Perilla Mint. In some individuals the plant can cause dermatitis.

Purple Perilla

Why the genus was called Perilla by the Latin scholar Linnaeus is debatable. It could mean “little bag” referencing the caylex. Despite what Internet “Baby Name” sites say Perilla (per-RILL-ah) is not an American invention, though it was a common girl’s name in the 1800s in the United States. Perilla was the nick name of Caecillia Metella the poetess, and lover of the Ancient Roman poet Ticida, and many others. Ticida (probably Clodius Aesopus) was not political but besides writing poetry he provided supplies to Julius Caesar’s army in 46 BC. Caecillia also seduced several of Julius Caesar’s intimate friends and was involved in much political scandal and intrigue. Soon married and divorced Caecillia was a talented, savvy, good looking party girl who probably wrote erotic poetry and is also called Lesbia in other poems.  We know that Ticida invented the name “Perilla”  for her by using Greek word play on her family name Metella. When she died we do not know. Thus what was a common proper name in the 1800s for girls in America was at its invention used to protect the public identity of a woman who wrote racy erotic poetry and slept around. And perhaps that is why the species is called Perilla, it’s attractive, spicy, and gets around. Frutescens (frew-TESS-enz) means shrubby or bushy.

Green Deane’s “Itemized” Plant Profile: Perilla

IDENTIFICATION: Perilla frutescens: Stems to a yard high, erect, herbaceous, purple, four-angled, a single vertical groove on each side of the stem. Leaves are opposite, petiolate, purple with a very shallow groove. Blades ovate, serrate, acute, to four inches long (10cm) three inches wide (8cm) sometimes crisped (curled or undulated) or not, typically green above and purple-green or entirely purple below, mostly hairless above, hairy on the veins below. Flower spikes growing out of where a leaf stem meets a main stem or at the top end of the plant. Blossoms pink, four stamens, anthers pinkish, fading to purple, two blossoms per node, each with a folded bract. Bracts broadly ovate when unfolded.

TIME OF YEAR: Flowering August to October.

ENVIRONMENT: Gravel bars, rich soils, alluvial soils or dry soils along streams, spring branches, gravel bars, roadsides, railroads.

METHOD OF PREPARATION: Leaves used as a coloring or a spice. Flower spikes in soup or fried. Seeds uses as a spice or a source of edible oil. Sprouts cooked and eaten like a potherb.

The link to the university’s site to buy the book — I do not get a cut — is here.

The list of known edibles in the book is below. Many of them are covered in separate articles on site.  Click on the common name.

Page 10:   Commelina diffusa, young tips boiled in ample water, blossoms raw. Dayflowers.
Page 11:   Murdannia nudiflora, same as above.  Doveweed.
Page 14:   Cyperus esculentus, tubers, raw, boiled, roasted or candied, oil from tubers, seeds roasted as a coffee substitute. Chufa
Page 19:   Cyperus rotundus, edible after drying, fresh are an insect repellant. See above.
Page 26:   Anthoxanthum odoratum, dry leaves as tea, grain, caution as it is a blood thinner.
Page 31:   Cenchrus echinatus, use as grain after burning off spines, or winnowing between leather pads. Sandspurs.
Page 32:   Cenchrus incertus, same as above.
Page 34:   Dactyloctenium aegyptium, dry seeds to make a flour, or mush, beer et cetera. Crowfoot Grass.
Page 65:   Allium vineale, wild garlic, use like said. Wild Onion, Wild Garlic.
Page 67:   Mollugo verticillata,  leaves as potherb.
Page 71:    Amaranthus blitum, Livid Amaranth, use cooked like spinach.
Page 72:   Amaranthus hybridus, Smooth Pigweed, use cooked like spinach.
Page 73:   Amaranthus verdis, Slender Amaranth, use cooked like spinach.
Page 88:   Cirsium horridulum, all true thistles are edible, first year root raw or cooked, second year stalk peeled raw or cooked, leaves anytime peeled of spines, raw or cooked. Bull Thistle
Page 89:   Conyza canadensis, barely edible as a spice, significant medicinal. Horseweed.
Page 90:   Eclipta prostrata, young leaves and shoots cooked.
Page 91:    Emilia fosbergii, from non-flowering plant, young leaves raw, or cooked, occasional use, long-term use can cause liver tumors.
Page 92:    Erechtites hieraciifolia, raw or cooked, an acquired taste. Fireweed.
Page 103:  Hypochoeris radicata, young leaves cooked (usually boiled.) False Dandelions
Page 105:  Lactuca canadensis, young leaves cooked (usually boiled.) Lettuce Labyrinth
Page 107:  Pyrrhopappus carolinianus, young leaves cooked (usually boiled.) False dandelions.
Page 109:  Sonchus asper, young leaves cooked (usually boiled.) Sow Thistle.
Page 110:  Taraxacum officinale, young leaves cooked, blossoms as tea or to flavor wine, panckakes, roasted roots. Dandelions.
Page 113:  Youngia japonica, young leaves raw or cooked. False Hawksbeard.
Page 115:  Capsella bursa-pastoris, young leaves for seasoning or greens after boiling, seeds as pepper, grind root add to salt and vinegar for horseradish substitute. Peppergrass.
Page 116:  Cardamine hirsuta, leaves and seed pods for seasoning. The Little Mustards.
Page 117:  Coronopus didymus, leaves and seed pods for seasoning. The Little Mustards.
Page 118:  Descurainia pinnata, leaves and seed pods for seasoning. The Little Mustards.
Page 119:  Lepidium virginicum, same as Capsella bursa-pasatopris. Peppergrass.
Page 120:  Sibara virginica, young leaves and seed pods as seasoning. The Little Mustards.
Page 128:  Erodium circutarium, young leaves boiled. Stork’s Bill
Page 129:  Geranium carolinianum, young leaves boiled, very bitter, more a medicinal. Stork’s Bill
Page 130:  Glechoma hederacea, young leaves cooked, much written about this plant. Henbit
Page 131:  Lamium amplexicaule, young leaves raw or cooked. Henbit.
Page 132:  Lamium purpureum, young leaves raw or cooked. Henbit.
Page 133:  Prunella vulgaris, young leaves raw or cooked, tends to be bitter raw.
Page 134:  Stachys floridana, root edible raw or cooked, leaves dried for tea, leaves boiled as famine food, musty flavored. Florida Betony
Page 137:  Desmodium triflorum, threeflower ticktrefoil, in India traditionally boiled then mixed with dry fish. Yum. Tick Clover
Page 141:  Medicago lupulina, seeds edible, leaves edible cooked but implicated in auto-immune diseases. Iffy. Black Medic
Page 146:  Trifolium compestre, leave edible raw or cooked, blossoms, too. Family does not digest well.
Page 147:  Trifolium dubium, leaves edible raw or cooked, blossoms too. See above.
Page 148:  Trifolium repens, leaves edible raw or cooked, blossoms too. Clover.
Page 150:  Vicia sativa, seeds cooked, leaves cooked, but some reports of toxicity in the lab, not in the field.
Page 152:  Modiola caroliniana, leaves used to make a drink. Carolina Bristle Mallow
Page 154:  Boerhavia diffusa, tender young leaves and shoots – cooked and used as a vegetable, root – baked, rich in carbohydrate and protein, though the flavor is bland and the texture sometimes woody. Seeds – cooked. It can be ground into a powder and added to cereals when making bread, cakes et cetera. If the root chemically burns mouth after cooking do not eat. Red Spiderling.
Page 157:  Oxalis intermedia, leaves raw or cooked, entire plant edible. Sorrels
Page 158:  Oxalis stricta, leaves raw or cooked. See above.
Page 159:  Plantago aristata, young leaves raw or cooked, young seed spike raw or cooked, seeds raw or cooked. Plantains
Page 160:  Plantago lanceolata, same as above
Page 161:  Plantago major, same as above
Page 162:  Plantago virginica, same as above
Page 163:  Polygonum aviculare, young leaves, seeds, and blossoms, raw or cooked (probably P. caespitosum, too.) Blossom the hottest but also bitter. Large raw amounts can raise blood pressure..
Page 165:  Rumex acetosella, young leaves raw or cooked (makes a nice tartlet with sour cream.) Root – cooked. It can be dried, ground into a powder and made into noodles. Seed – raw or cooked. Easy to harvest, but the seed is rather small. A drink similar to lemonade is made by boiling the leaves. Sheep Sorrel
Page 166:  Rumex crispus, young leaves and seeds, raw or cooked, similar to above.
Page 168:  Portulaca oleracea, entire plant above ground raw or cooked. Purslane.
Page 172:  Duchesnea indica, berries raw, leaves cooked. Reports of it being poisonous are simply wrong. Indian strawberry
Page 176:  Galium aparine, young shoots and leaves raw or cooked, seed roasted make an excellent coffee substitute. Old leaves toxic with silica.  When the plant is young it stimulates the immune system and is good for the lymph system. Goosegrass.
Page 190:  Centella asiatica, Gotu Kola, leaves edible raw or cooked, better cooked. Pennyworts.
Page 191:  Daucus carota, root cooked, thin and stringy, flower clusters can be french-fried to produce a carrot-flavoured gourmet’s delight, the aromatic seed is used as a flavouring in stews et cetera, the dried roasted roots are ground into a powder and are used for making coffee substitute. Wild Carrots.
Page 192:  Hydrocotyles, young leaves raw or cooked, better cooked, too many leaves raw will lower your blood pressure. Pennyworts.
Page 193:  Parietaria floridana, young leaves, stems, flowers raw or cooked, diuretic, can make some itch, try sparingly at first. (In more than 20 years I have not met anyone who gets the itch.) Pellitory.
Page 196:  Viola, above ground parts edible raw or cooked. Romans made blossoms into wine. Root is toxic.  Violet Virtues.
Page 197:  Viola arvensis, same as above
Page 198:  Viola rafinesquii, same as above

I did not list many of the grass seeds as edible, but probably they are as I do not know of any native toxic grasses in North America.

This is Green Deane being interview for the local PBS station for Thanksgiving, 2009. This show was voted their best episode of the year. http://www.wmfe.org/audiointersection/112409.asx

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=9c933ff9f45f4b43f7c07d&skin_id=801&utm_source=otm&utm_medium=text_url