On my way back from the Future Heirloom event in Copenhagen, I had a few hours between trains to visit one of my favourite Botanical gardens in Gothenburg, Sweden, Göteborgs botaniska trädgård. Apart from a very short visit on my way to Austria and the UK by train in January 2020, the last time I had visited was on 30th August 2017 when I did an edibles walk and talk with my friend Bosse Blomquist (see https://www.edimentals.com/blog/?p=13658). Afterwards, I did two talks (as the first was sold out) and even got to stay the night in the flat in the gardens! Thanks again to Johan Nilson for showing me around behind the scenes and telling me about the big changes happening at the gardens with new glasshouses being built where the old ones had been! Below are pictures of edible plants I spotted in the gardens during my latest visit:
The garden entrance: easily accessible by tram from the railway station
Sorbus ulleungensis: this endemic to Ulleung-do Island between Korea and Japan. It has large quite sweet berries. I hadn’t noticed that there was a row of this species planted next to the garden entrance! The garden had collected this and other species from an exhibition there (see my article on Dystaenia takesimana here: https://www.edimentals.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Dystaenia_fin-3.pdf)
Sorbus ulleungensis: this endemic to Ulleung-do Island between Korea and Japan. It has large quite sweet berries. I hadn’t noticed that there was a row of this species planted next to the garden entrance! The garden had collected this and other species from an exhibition there (see my article on Dystaenia takesimana here: https://www.edimentals.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Dystaenia_fin-3.pdf)
Rubus parviflorus (labelled as Rubus nutkanus), the Western Thimbleberry; I planted this at the Væres Venners Community Garden this summer.
Allium scabriscapum in the bulb house is a beautiful yellow flowered species.
Umbilicus tropaeolifolius in the bulb house
Allium oschaninii is a crop near relative to Allium cepa and was traditionally wild foraged
Beautiful autumn foliage of Hosta “Harry van Trier”
Rubus palmatus is wild foraged in Japan
Rubus palmatus is wild foraged in Japan
A decent sized Toona sinensis (Chinese mahogany, Chinese cedar, Chinese toon, beef and onion plant or red toon) is widely cultivated in the Far East for its young shoots which have an oniony taste due to the presence of organosulfur compounds; a popular tree in permaculture / forest gardening (I didn’t see any shoots coming up around the tree)
A decent sized Toona sinensis (Chinese mahogany, Chinese cedar, Chinese toon, beef and onion plant or red toon) is widely cultivated in the Far East for its young shoots which have an oniony taste due to the presence of organosulfur compounds; a popular tree in permaculture / forest gardening.
Vitis coignetiae
Corylus fargesii (Chinese Hazel) has a tree form like Turkish Hazel.
PInus armandii var mastersiana is the Taiwanese form of Chinese White Pine, one of the sources of commercial pine nuts.
Elaeagnus sp., autumn olive
Smilax china (see https://pfaf.org/user/plant.aspx?latinname=Smilax+china)
Eleutherococcus sp.
Gingko biloba
Asclepias exaltata (poke milkweed) has shoots resembling pokeweed, Phytolacca americana. Some species of milkweed including this one are considered edible, eaten boiled and in moderation.
Allium cernuum “Monarch White”
Rudbeckia laciniata (sochan, Cherokee greens): Samuel Thayer recommends in particular the autumn broader and blunter leaves (I’ve never seen this in my gardens)
The wonderful rock garden area (Klippträdgården) is my favourite area of the garden with many perennial vegetables I’ve not seen elsewhere! Plants are organised geographically.
The wonderful rock garden area (Klippträdgården) is my favourite area of the garden with many perennial vegetables I’ve not seen elsewhere! Plants are organised geographically.
Smilax rotundifolia
Smilax glauca
Azorella prolifera
Oemleria cerasiformis, Indian plum, Osoberry: I don’t remember seeing this in other botanical gardens in Europe
One patch of spreading Allium wallichii!
Allium thunbergii or close relation
Saxifraga fortunei: my friend @aiahnoack in Denmark calls this tempura greens from its use
Saxifraga fortunei: my friend @aiahnoack in Denmark calls this tempura greens from its use
Allium ulleungense: good to see that the garden has followed the recent changes, splitting the Allium victorialis into 5 species!
Actinidia arguta
Codonopsis bomiensis from Tibet
Towards the East!
Smilax nipponica
Cephalotaxus harringtonii var nana (yew plum)
Aralia continentalis
Eleutherococcus sessiliflorus
Pinus koraiensis, an important source of pine nuts
Actinidia arguta
Vaccinium smallii, an Asian blueberry
Aralia elata (devil’s walking stick)
Aralia elata (devil’s walking stick)
Patrinia gibbosa seed (some Patrinia species are foraged for the shoots in Japan, but are a little too bitter for me)
Cephalotaxus harringtonii var nana
The Japanese Dell is my favourite area of the garden. There are some 500 species planted here and many (1/3?) are edible plants (so-called sansai)a
Gaylussacia dumosa, dwarf huckleberry
Another spreading Allium wallichii accession
Staphylea colchica is a bladder nut from the Caucasus (the young shoots are more useful )
Papaw (Asimina triloba) has, I’ve heard, produced ripe fruit in this area
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