SKIRRET—Sium sisarum. Family: Umbelliferae. 
Uses: Roots used as a vegetable like Parsnips. 
DescrirTION: Shiny, toothed, pinnately compound leaves on three foot 
tall stems are topped with graceful white umbels. 
CULTIVATION: To use the roots of this perennial herb, sow seed in the 
spring or fall in shallow drills. They may be dug as needed and stored 
for winter in sand or left in the ground like parsnips. Keep some plants 
in the herb garden for their attractive blossoms and leaves. The roots 
may be taken up and divided in the spring. 
SORREL—French Sorrel, Rumex scutatus. Family: Polygonaceae. 
Uses: Leaves used in soup, salad and cooked with spinach. 
Description: Perennial herb with light-green, arrow-shaped leaves. 
Eighteen inches tall with panicles of reddish-brown blossoms. 
CULTIVATION: Propagated by root divisions or seed sown in the spring. 
Leaves must be cut to keep plants from going to seed in mid-summer. 
In hot weather the leaves become rather bitter but improve in flavor 
with the return of cool nights of autumn. 
SOUTHERNWOOD—Old Man’s, Lad’s Love, Artemisia arbrotanum, 
Family: Com positae. 
Users: Branches are hung in the closet to prevent moths. A few leaves 
burned on the stove will overcome cooking odors. 
DescrirTION: A woody, shrubby herb with green, finely-cut foliage. 
The tips of the branches resemble shaving brushes and the whole plant 
sometimes reaches four feet in diameter. A favorite among the Arte- 
misias for its neat habit and spicy lemon scent. Seldom produces pani- 
cles of small, yellowish blossoms. 
CuLtivaTIoN: A hardy perennial easily started from cuttings or layer- 
ings. Rarely produces viable seed. Thrives in a poor, dry soil in full 
sun. 
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