Re: [gardeners] germinating osha

Jane Burdekin (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sun, 24 Jan 1999 09:55:02 -0700

As soon as I wrote that, I knew you were going to ask.  I went upstairs to
get the copy of the info and of course it doesn't say what the book name is
on the 2 pages I copied.  A coworker gave me some dried osha root and the
info about it.  I will ask her the name of the book when I see her.  The
article has a lot of info and for cultivation it says; "Almost impossible. 
Even in northern New Mexico (elevation averaging from 6,000-8.000 ft),
where it is most widely used the people are not able to cultivate it for
their own consumption.  Angelica pinnata, a coarser plant of the same
family with somewhat similiar functions, is grown as Osha del Campo;  the
other, Osha de la Sierra, is picked in the mountains and brought down."  It
also says "it grows from 6,500 ft, but I have never observed it below
9,000ft and never below 10,000 ft in  any quantity or size." The latin name
they are refereing to  is Ligusticum porteri.  I don't know if this is any
help or just discouraging news but this is what I have heard.   If  you
have other specific questions I can try to answer them from the article. 
If I only had a scanner, I could just send it to you but haven't gotten one
yet.  Some day.  Good luck.  Jane 

> 
> At 08:52 AM 1/24/99 -0700, you wrote:
> >Hi Margaret,
> >This is an interesting herb I have just  recently learned about and was
> >surprised to see it in the Richters catalog that I just got.  I was
under
> >the impression that people were still researching how to germinate it. 
I
> >also thought that it had to be grown at a high altitude?  8000ft?  This
is
> >all from memory of reading an excerp from an herb book.  It I find out
more
> >I will let you know.  
> >
> >Jane 
> >
> What herb book were you reading?  Margaret