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Masterwort

Peucedanum ostruthium

Also called Imperatoria

Masterwort
Photo: Meneerke bloem, CC BY-SA 3.0

Masterwort is a hardy perennial of the carrot family, native to mountain meadows of Central and Southern Europe, grown for its aromatic roots and leaves. It is a cool-climate plant that needs moist, fertile soil and shade from hot afternoon sun.

Family
Apiaceae (Carrot family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Part shade
Water
Keep soil consistently moist, especially in summer, without waterlogging.
Soil
Moist, fertile, humus-rich soil with good drainage.
Temperature
Hardy to around -25 °C; prefers cool summers and struggles in prolonged heat above about 30 °C.
How easy
Easy
Edible
Yes, some parts
Native range
C. & S. Europe
Climate
temperate

About

Peucedanum ostruthium or Imperatoria ostruthium, masterwort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to the mountains of Central and Southern Europe, but has been widely introduced outside its native range.

Where it grows

Masterwort is native to the mountains of Central and Southern Europe, including the Carpathians, Alps, northern Apennines, Massif Central and isolated occurrences in the Iberian Peninsula. It has, however, been widely introduced and cultivated and its native range is therefore not entirely clear.

Uses

Masterwort is used as a flavouring for various liqueurs and bitters. Its roots and leaves have been used in traditional Austrian medicine internally (as tea, liqueurs and wine) and externally (as fumigation, tincture or incense) for treatment of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, skin, respiratory tract, cardiovascular system, infections, fever, flu and colds.

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Peucedanum ostruthium 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.

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