About Poterium sanguisorba subsp. sanguisorba
Sanguisorba minor, commonly known as salad burnet, garden burnet, small burnet, pimpernelle, Toper's plant, and burnet-bloodwort, is an edible perennial herbaceous plant in the family Rosaceae. The name 'burnet' is also used for the Sanguisorba genus as a whole. This plant has ferny foliage with toothed leaves, and its distinctive crimson spherical flower clusters grow well above the foliage on thin stems. It typically reaches 25–55 cm in height, though final height depends on available moisture; it can grow as short as 2 cm in dry areas. It has a large, long taproot that can sometimes reach 1 meter (3 feet) in length, which stores water and makes the plant drought-tolerant. Sanguisorba minor is evergreen to semi-evergreen: it grows year-round in warmer climates, and stays green until heavy snow covers the ground in colder climates. Individual plants may live for over 20 years, though a lifespan of 7 to 12 years is more typical; plants live longer when they are allowed to set seed occasionally. This burnet blooms in early summer. Recognized subspecies include muricata, minor, and mongolii, the last of which originates from the Mediterranean region. Sanguisorba minor is cultivated in containers, wildflower meadows, ornamental gardens, and kitchen gardens. It is usually grown in sunny or very lightly shaded locations, with an equator-facing or west-facing orientation. In North America, it is grown on dry rangelands, where it is used for grazing, erosion control, post-fire weed control, firebreaks, and landscape rehabilitation. Because it tends to remain green, it is considered fire-resistant. Historically, salad burnet was used medicinally in Europe to control bleeding. It shares the same medicinal properties as medicinal burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis), and in the past it was made into a tea to relieve diarrhea.
