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Acinos alpinus - (L.)Moench.

Alpine Calamint

Author	(L.)Moench.	Botanical references	50, 200
Family	Labiatae	Genus	Acinos
Synonyms	Calamintha alpina - (L.)Lam. Satureja alpina - (L.)Scheele.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	C. and S. Europe
Habitat	Dry sunny habitats in mountains and rocky places[50, 148].
Edibility Rating	1 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.45m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Uses: Condiment; Tea.

The leaves are used as a flavouring in cooked dishes[183] and also as a tea substitute[148].

Medicinal Uses

Diaphoretic; Febrifuge.

Diaphoretic, febrifuge[148].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeeds in almost any well-drained soil, doing well in a hot dry soil[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a cold frame. If you have sufficient seed then you could try sowing in situ in April or May. Germination should take place within a month. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division in spring. Basal cuttings in late spring.

Links

References

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[148] Niebuhr. A. D. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America. 1970
A pleasant little book about Greek herbs.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

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