Date: Mon 30 March 1992 Re: Re: Esperseth -> I don't know the Latin name (it's not listed in _Hortus III_ either). -> author of the article about this plant says it's from Switzerland whe -> it's used as forage. She thinks it's related to alfalfa. Well, now, knowing the Switzerland part, I dug out my couple of German plant books... There's something that in German is called 'Esparsette', grows wild in meadows, and is a desirable forage plant. I do wonder whether that's what you're looking for... Oh, botanical name for 'Esparsette' is Onobrychys viciaefolia. Re: More Esperseth Info Following is some descriptive information about esperseth (Onobrychys viciaefolia ???) I neglected to post. "...Distinguished by small pink and blue blossoms and vetch-like pinnate leaves, this plant matures over years into massive and deep-rooted clumps. They measure as much as three-feet wide at the base, and grow over 20 inches high when in full bloom." If you're familiar with this plant please notify me by e-mail. I have a number of questions concerning espereth and its' uses. Re: Re: ESPERSETH Since you said the lady thought it was related to alfalfa, I looked a bit more closely at the listings under medicago (alfalfa family) in Sturtevant's. I found one possibility: Medicago denticulata, or bur clover, aka shanghai trefoil. It says it is native to the North temperate region of the Old World and that a fine, broadleaved variety was found to be much used by the Chinese as a winter vegetable. The name bur clover suggest a possibly sharp seed to me, and the fact of winter vegetable use suggests the possibility of a perennial. Slim associations, I know, but perhaps you could look this plant up in some of your sources and see if there are any stronger correlations. (1743) Thu 2 Apr 92 13:08 Re: Re: ESPERSETH Looked in some German plant books and found a listing for a plant called `Esparcette' in the German language. It grows wild in meadows, and is a desirable forage plant. Its' botanical name is Onobrychys viciaefolia. I looked-up O. viciaefolia in _Hortus III_ and found that is a member of the Leguminosae family. The description follows: SAINFOIN, HOLY CLOVER, ESPARCET. Perennial to 2 feet; leaflets in 6-12 pairs, oblong or linear, 1 inch long; peduncles longer than leaves, racemes (many-flowered; flowers pink, rarely white, to 1/2 inch long or more; fruit pubescent, many-toothed on 1 side, to 3/8 inch long. Temperate Eurasia. Adapted to dry soil. I think this might be what the articles author, Patricia Nell Warren, calls esperseth. She concludes her article about esperseth with the following. Hopefully, someone can answer her questions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- I've the following questions about esperseth. Please answer as many as you can. *In parts of the United States where there is greater summer or year-round rainfall than in Montana, would esperseth have a more tender growth, and be as palatable to cattle as it was in Switzerland? *In these rainier areas, can esperseth begin to replace commercially grown alfalfa--both as hay for dairy cattle, and as fresh forage in dairy pasture? If it can, it would be a gift to farmers in water-critical areas like California, where alfalfa farming is now under fire because it demands so much water. *Would the rugged deep-rooted plants be more resistant to close grazing and trampling by livestock than are the more fragile grasses? *Do sheep like esperseth? Goats? Horses? Llamas? Sheep and goats feast on many plants--like leafy spurge and spotted knap--that cattle shun. *In drier parts of the U.S., would esperseth provide good drought-resistant grazing for sheep and goats, who don't mind woody stems? *What about ranging poultry? Can esperseth stand up better than standard pasture to the incessant scratching and digging by ranged chickens and turkeys? Ranged poultry is an attractive alternative to "factory chicken," but it can be destructive to land, in the same way as intensive grazing by hoofed animals. *What are the possible dangers to horses, of grazing on green esperseth? Every horse-owner knows the risk of green alfalfa. *What is espereth's long-term value (since it is a slow grower) in revitalizing farmland and rangeland that is eroded and leached of nutrients? *Does esperseth have survival value for wild grazers like elk and deer? Some private-landowners are learning that their strategy for environmentally saner ranching and farming can also help support local hard-pressed wildlife. I have seen white-tail deer feasting happily on my Montana patch. Esperseth is still deep green in August, at a time when most Western grasses are cured on the stem. *What can esperseth add to our array of plants used for reclaiming strip mines and other such areas damaged by strip mines? *With its slow growth rate, does esperseth have any value as a single-season green manure? *Does esperseth--like alfalfa--have any medicinal value for humans? These and other questions about this intriguing plant deserve to be answered. For further information and the possible availability of small quantities of hand-gathered 1992 seed, interested persons can write to Patricia Nell Warren, c/o _ACRES U.S.A._ (P.O. Box 9547, Kansas City, MO 64133, U.S. of America) and letters will be forwarded. I also would like to hear from _ACRES U.S.A._ readers in Europe who know anything about esperseth history, and its uses in Europe today. Re: Re: ESPERSETH Looked up Onobrychys in Sturtevant. I only found Onobrychis crista-galli, common name Hedgehog. It was mentioned as only having ornamental use as a garden curiosity, though it "appears in some of our seedsmen's lists." It was listed as a legume, but it seems to be not quite the same thing or else I'm running into differences in nomeclature because the book dates to 1910. It's been an interesting hunt, though. Good luck on finding out more. To: Lawrence London Re: ESPERSETH I have an old (1988) catalog from J.L. HUDSON, in which there's a listing for Onobrychis sativa (=viciaefolia). If he still sells it, and a packet of seeds is only $1.00, you might want to check with him besides Ms. Warren. J.L. HUDSON, SEEDSMAN [Catalog - $1] P.O. Box 1058 Redwood City, CA 94064 Re: Re: ESPERSETH If you try O. vicaefolia (a.k.a. esperseth), let us know the results. BTW, I think (?) Peaceful Valley Farm Supply also has seed for espetseth. It's probably sold as either SAINFOIN or HOLY CLOVER. Re: Esparsette Did one more glance at my German books, and all the additional information I can come up with is: Likes dry, limestone type soils, and seems to be a desirable component of hay. I remember seeing it in Austria, in meadows with lots of wildflowers. Later on (1981 to 1986) in central Germany, I saw neither wildflowers nor esparsette. When I asked one of the local farmers why there weren't any wildflowers like there used to be, the answer was that today the meadows got fertilized, and that provided the wrong nutrient balance for the wildflowers. Re: Re: ESPERSETH The address for PVFS is as follows: PEACEFUL VALLEY FARM SUPPLY [Catalog - $2] P.O. Box 2209 [Deductable from] 110 Springhill Boulevard [1st order] Grass Valley, CA 95945 (916) 265-4769 Re: Re: ESPERSETH