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Native Cobbler Pegs Glossocardia Bidens Seeds
Packet of 75+ home grown native seeds!
This is not Bidens pilosa, Bidens subalternans, Bidens bipinnata or Bidens alba, the imported cobbler peg weeds.
This fella is actually Glossocardia bidens or the Native Cobbler Peg, and internationally it is most commonly known as Glossogyne tenuifolia.
That is the name most of the medical studies have been done on, and I am told Lu Jiao Cao is the name the dried herb is sold under in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
It is a native to Australia, and various parts of Asian and this has led to it being known by the following names over the years.
Bidens denudata, Bidens meyeniana, Bidens novae-caledoniae, Bidens pinnatifida, Bidens rigida, Bidens tenuifolia, Coreopsis tanna, Coreopsis tannensis, Glossogyne bidens, Glossogyne pedunculosa, Glossogyne pinnatifida, Glossogyne tannensis, Glossogyne tenuifolia, Glossogyne tenuifolia var. divaricata, Glossogyne tenuifolia var. tenuifolia, Glossogyne tridentata,Neuractis bidens, Neuractis bidens and Zinnia bidens.
It also has the common names Dwarf Needle, Fengrucao, Golden Lock, Hawthorn, Hsiang-ju, Nanxiangru, Wind grass, and Xiangru.
Like the much larger and much more common weedy Bidens species, this fella has been used as a pot herb in many places around the world but unfortunately I can’t find any domestic records of it being used as a food or bush tucker?
The bit I tried tasted ok but pretty bitter, though the chooks and guinea pigs really smash it, as do the cattle and stock in town.
It has a strong anti-inflammatory effect and in traditional medicine the small tuberous roots are pounded and applied to snake, spider, scorpion, stings and bites.
In Taiwan it is famed medicine said to be very effective at fever reduction and it has a long history of use for this, or just as a general tonic when added to various herbal blends and mixes.
Modern studies support it’s anti-inflammatory, hepato-protective, anti-pyretic effects and it’s high oleanolic acid and luteolin content show potential for use in immuno-modulation and cancer treatment.
All cool stuff!
The main reason I like it is because it’s such a dainty little flower.
In the wild it is easy to overlook it, but when grown with a little love and the occasional water it looks just as pretty as any other annual wild flower, just a lot smaller.
Does great in pots, germinates readily, and next time you are pulling weeds this little fella is worth a thought as a replacement…
As it forms a tuberous root it handles light grazing and drought conditions ok, much better than most.
Despite the name the seed heads of this fella don’t spread as easily and are much smaller.
Never had them in my socks and had to spend hours pulling them out, but I can’t say that about true Bidens species!
These fellas are much more user friendly.
Grown by me and the Mrs organically, no chems, no nasties, no problems!!!
