Plant · P-734

Dragons Head

Lallemantia iberica

Dragons Head is a branching mint-family annual from western Asia, grown for a seed oil so high in linolenic acid that it dries like linseed oil - historically burned for light and pressed into paint, varnish and lubricant as much as it was eaten. The seed also turns mucilaginous when wet, and the summer flowers draw bees heavily. It wants full sun on light, well-drained, neutral to alkaline ground and dislikes clay or acid soil, and yields best when sown early enough that the seed fills before the hottest weeks of summer rather than through them.