Sanguisorba minor Scop.
Garden Burnet
Salad burnet is a tidy, evergreen perennial of the rose family, native to Britain's dry, lime-rich grasslands. It forms neat rosettes of ferny, pinnate leaves made up of small, rounded and sharply toothed leaflets, which release a faint scent of cucumber when crushed.
About
Salad burnet is a tidy, evergreen perennial of the rose family, native to Britain's dry, lime-rich grasslands. It forms neat rosettes of ferny, pinnate leaves made up of small, rounded and sharply toothed leaflets, which release a faint scent of cucumber when crushed. From these rise slim, branching stems topped with curious globe-shaped flower heads; the lower flowers are greenish while the uppermost are tufted with crimson styles, giving the whole cluster a reddish glow. Plants usually stand around 25-55cm tall and are notably drought-tolerant thanks to a deep taproot.
It is most at home on thin, infertile chalk and limestone soils in full sun, where it stays green through much of the winter. The flowers appear through early and mid summer and are wind-pollinated, though the foliage is valued forage for insects and grazing animals alike. A staple of calcareous grassland and wildflower meadow mixes, it also earns a place in the herb garden, where its young leaves add a fresh, cucumber-like note to salads.
Also known as
Garden Burnet, Salad Burnet · Little Burnet · Salad Burnet · Small Burnet
In our seed mixes
- BFS 10 – Species Rich Wildflower Meadow Seed Mix
- BFS 11 – Coastal Meadow Grassland Seed Mix
- BFS 12 – Green Roof Wildflower Seed Mix
- BFS 130 – Flowering Grassless Lawn Wildflower Seed Mix – 100% Flora
- BFS 7 – Calcareous Grassland Wildflower Seed Mix
- BFS 8 – High Nutrient Initial Establishment Wildflower Grassland Mix – 50% Flora
- BFS 9 – Country Meadow Wildflower Seed Mix
- BFS10(F) – Species Rich 100% Wildflower Meadow Mix
- BFS11(F)- Coastal Meadow 100% Wildflower Meadow Mix
- BFS12(F) – Greenroof 100% Wildflower Seed Mix
- BFS7(F)- Calcareous Grassland 100% Wildflower Seed Mix
- BFS8(F) – High Nutrient Initial Establishment 100% Wildflower Mix
- BFS9(F)- Country Meadow 100% Wildflower Seed Mix
- UM13 – Treasure Trove Wildflower Mix
Beta — under active development. This catalogue is still being built and accuracy-checked. The information here (including plant identifications, British native status, soil and sun/shade preferences) is provided in good faith for general guidance only and may contain errors or omissions. It must not be relied upon on its own — please confirm details with us before making planting, specification, foraging or purchasing decisions, and never eat or medicinally use any plant based on this catalogue alone, as some species are toxic. To the extent permitted by law, Phoenix Amenity Supplies accepts no liability for any loss arising from use of this information.