Notes from our supplier: "The Skirret sifarum (says Mr Evelyn) is hot and moist, corroborating & good for the stomach, exceeding nourishing, wholesome & delicate, & of all the root kinds, not subject to be windy, & so valued by the Emperor Tiberius, that he accepted them in tribute..."

Notes from our supplier on the seed packet: "A perennial vegetable, thought to have originated in China. It is probable that it was introduced by the Romans, and then lost to cultivation, only to be re-introduced to Tudor and Stuart kitchen gardens when it was very popular."

In traditional medicine the edible root cultivated in England since the 16th century is said to be " a useful diet in chest complaints".

Grieve, Mrs M. (1931). A Modern Herbal, Penguin. Leyel, Mrs CF

Culpeper says "Of Scirrets.They are hot and moist, of good nourishment, something windy, as all roots; by reason of which they...stir up appetite".

'Mrs Grieves (1931) A Modern Herbal' at www.botanical.com

Asia-Temperate, Caucasus, North Caucasus

Asia-Temperate, Caucasus, Transcaucasus

Asia-Temperate, Middle Asia, Kazakhstan

Asia-Temperate, Middle Asia, Kyrgyzstan

Asia-Temperate, Middle Asia, Tadzhikistan

Asia-Temperate, Middle Asia, Turkmenistan

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Iran

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Iraq

Asia-Temperate, Western Asia, Turkey

Europe, Eastern Europe

Europe, Middle Europe, Hungary

Europe, Southeastern Europe, Bulgaria

Europe, Southeastern Europe, Romania