Boraginaceae (Family)

Ahiflower

This herbal plant is native to Eurasia, from Ireland to Japan, as far north as Korea and as far south as northern Pakistan. It has been introduced to much of North America and Australia. Until recently, this was a wild weed, but is now being increasingly cultivated. Its seed oil is currently of great interest in the nutritional supplement industry, due to it's Omega-3 oil content.

The Omega-3 oil in Ahiflower is high in SDA (stearidonic acid) which the body can easily convert to the DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) typical of marine oils. DHA and EPA are the types of Omega-3 that are important to human health. ALA (alphalinolenic acid), the type of Omega-3 provided by flaxseed, canola oil, chia seeds, soybeans, walnuts, and pine nuts is very difficult for the body to convert to SDA (about 8% conversion) which it can then convert to DHA and EPA. ALA is not of direct benefit to human health.   Photo by Fornax distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.

Alkanet

This plant, native to the Mediterranean region, has blue flowers on very hairy foliage, and a root that looks black from the outside but is blue-red on the inside. It has long been used as a dye and as a stain for wood, but also as a food coloring, particularly to color wine, other alcoholic beverages and vegetable oils (the color is soluble in alcohol and oils, but not water). In India, under the name Ratan Jot, it has been traditionally used to color some versions of Rogan Josh curry. Alkanet is currently approved as a food coloring in Australia but banned in the European Union.   Photo by Jean Tosti distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.

Anacua

This tree, native to northeastern coastal Mexico and southeastern coastal Texas, can grow to 45 feet on the floodplains, but remains shrub size on arid hillsides. It produces clusters of tiny reddish yellow fruit, usually between 0.25 and 0.32 inches (7 to 8 mm) diameter. The fruit contains 2 stones, each containing 2 seeds, but the edible flesh is sweet and juicy - also enjoyed by birds and various mammals.   Photo by Carlos Abrego distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5 Generic.

Borage

This herb is native to the Mediterranean region, but hardy enough to grow in the British Isles. It has become naturalized in many other regions, particularly by escaping from gardens. This herb has long been grown in home gardens for its fresh leaves, which have a cucumber-like aroma and flavor. It has also been grown as a medicinal, but the main purpose of commercial cultivation today is for borage seed oil, often sold as "Starflower Oil". This oil has the highest percentage of gamma-linoleic acid of any plant oil, and is sold into the ever profitably "health conscious" market as a supplement.

Used fresh, the leaves often appear in European salads. The bright blue flowers are sweet and nontoxic, making them desirable as a color garnish, particularly for deserts. In Germany, the leaves are often used in soups, but in Frankfurt they are made into a green sauce called Grüne Soße. In Liguria, Italy, borage is often used as a filling for ravioli and pansoti. The leaves are used as a vegetable in the Navarra and Aragóne regions of Spain, boiled and sautéed with garlic. They are also popular on the island of Crete. Borage has been long used as a medicinal, particularly for PMS and menopause symptoms.   Photo by Dinkum contributed to the Public Domain.

Bugloss - Italian

This herb is native to Europe, Western Asia and parts of North Africa. Elsewhere it is known as a noxious weed. On the island of Crete, tender stems are eaten steamed, boiled or fried.   Photo by Alberto Salguero Quiles distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.

Comfrey - Tuberous

This herb is native to Europe, including the British Isles, but while common in Scotland it is not common in England and Wales. It has been extensively planted in Ireland, and to some extent in the West Coast region of North America. While the best known comfrey, Symphytum officinale, is too toxic to use except medicinally, Tuberous Comfrey is also used as an edible plant. In the spring, when the leaves are tender, they are used as a potherb. They are not eaten raw because they are hairy and toxic until cooked. The root tubers are used mainly as a non-acidic substitute for coffee, roasted until brown and brittle, then ground.   Photo by Asaspor distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.

Heliotrope - European

There are over 250 species of Heliotrope, many of them native to Yemen. They are noted for being highly medicinal and/or toxic. This one, native to Europe, Asia and North Africa, is the only one that has had significant culinary use. In Europe, sap from the flowers was used as a food coloring in Medieval times, and in France into early modern times. It is no longer so used due to toxicity and easy availability of other colorings.   Photo by Michael Becker distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.

Koda

This tree, native to East Asia, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Australia, grows to nearly 100 feet high. It produces large clusters of tiny yellow or red fruit, 0.16 to 0.20 inches (4 to 5 mm) diameter. The fruit contains 2 to 4 large seeds, which doesn't leave much to eat, but it is edible. It is also eaten by many birds. The tree is used for building timber, furniture making and in traditional Chinese medicine, but the fruit is now only occasionally eaten.   Photo by Mark Marathon distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.

Manjack

This tree is native to Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia including Philippines, and the Pacific Islands, including Hawaii. It produces small clusters of oblong fruit, 3/4 to 1-1/8 inches long, containing one to four seeds. Ripe, the fruit is woody and unappetizing, designed to float long distances across the sea. The seeds are edible but used mainly as famine food.

The main culinary use for this tree has been in ancient Hawaii. Because the wood did not taint or flavor food is was used for bowls, utensils and large containers of 2 to 4 gallon size for fermenting and storing Poi (a paste made from cooked taro roots - the main staple of traditional Hawaiian cuisine).   Photo by Tau'olunga distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.

Manjack - Fragrant

Fragrant Manjack is native to Pakistan, Nepal, northern India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia including Philippines, China, Ryuku Islands, Taiwan, New Guinea, northern Australia and New Caledonia. It produces small clusters of pink fruit, 1/2 to 3/4 inch diameter, containing a single large seed. Ripe, the fruit is mucilaginous (used for glue in offices), a bit insipid in flavor, very delicate and very perishable. It is usually sold unripe or pickled. C mixa is very similar to C dichotoma and used the same, but the fruit tends to be more tan than pink.   Details and Cooking.   Photo by Dinesh Valke distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.

Peach Bush

This shrub or small tree, growing to about 20 feet high, is native to northern Australia. It produces tiny yellow or red fruit, similar to that of Koda (see below) but in smaller clusters. The fruits are 0.16 to 0.20 inches (4 to 5 mm) diameter, and contain 2 to 4 large seeds. This doesn't leave much to eat, but the fruit was an important food for Australian aborigines, particularly in arid regions. It is not much eaten today due to difficulty in harvesting.   Photo by Mark Marathon distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.

Waterleaf - Ball Headed

This herbal plant is native to western North America, from British Columbia and Alberta in Canada down to central California, Utah and Colorado in the United States. It was an important food source for American Indians and early settlers. Tender shoots and leaves were cooked as greens and the fleshy roots were also cooked.   Photo by Matt Lavin distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 Generic.

Waterleaf - Virginia

These plants are native to North America from Minnesota in the Great Lakes region east to western New England and south to eastern Kansas and Virginia. They are perennial herbs that live in moist forested areas. Tender young leaves and shoots are eaten as salad greens and older leaves are cooked like spinach. The flavor is mild, but gets bitter if the leaves are too old. Young leaves may have whitish spots that look like water spots, thus the name "waterleaf".

The photo is of H. virginianum, which is very unpopular in gardens. It spreads quickly by long root runners and soon takes over everything, and is difficult to impossible to eradicate once established.   Photo by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency = Public Domain.

Yerba Santa

This shrub is native to dry mountain slopes of Oregon and California, though there are only scattered populations in Southern California. It can grow to about 10 feet high, and has narrow leaves up to 6 inches long. The Spanish name translates to "Sacred Herb", for its medicinal properties, especially applied to a wide range of respiratory problems. It has recently come to the attention of the food and pharmaceutical industries due to four flavanones it produces. These may be useful for masking bitter tastes.

This plant encourages the spread of wild fires, having coated itself with highly flammable resins. It does this on purpose, because it quickly grows back from rhizomes deep in the ground, after competing plants have been burned off.   Photo by Breck22 contributed to the Public Domain.