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Inula helenium
Also called Elecampane inula, Horseheal, Scabwort, Velvet Dock
Elecampane is a tall, coarse perennial herb of the daisy family, grown for its large leaves, yellow flower heads and thick aromatic roots; the sources describe the species, and it is widespread across Eurasia and naturalized in parts of North America.
Elecampane (Inula helenium), pronounced and also called horse-heal or elfdock, is a widespread plant species in the sunflower family Asteraceae. It is native to Eurasia from Spain to Xinjiang province in western China, and naturalized in parts of North America.
The herb has been used since Ancient Greek times. Theophrastus recommended using the plant in oil and wine to treat the bites of vipers, spiders and pine caterpillars in his Historia Plantarum.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Elecampane by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
