Inula britannica Seeds | British Yellowhead

Bright yellow daisy flowers of British Yellowhead (Inula britannica) in damp meadow grass — British Yellowhead (*Inula britannica*): Asteraceae, a damp-meadow perennial of Europe and temperate Asia.

LATIN NAME: Inula britannica

COMMON NAME: British Yellowhead, Meadow Fleabane

Plant Profile

British yellowhead is an upright herbaceous perennial of the daisy family, native to damp meadows, river banks and grassland across Europe and temperate Asia. It grows thirty to sixty centimetres tall, with soft, lance-shaped leaves and bright yellow daisy heads with narrow rays, borne in midsummer.

It spreads by rhizomes into loose colonies, and in a damp meadow it can form a drift several metres across. The flower heads are small but numerous, and they are one of the brightest yellows of high summer. The stems are downy and slightly angular, and the leaves are grey beneath. The plant flowers over several weeks, and each head is followed by a fluffy seed head.

Science & Biotechnology

The species is the source of xuan fu hua, the flower heads used in Chinese medicine for cough and congestion, and its sesquiterpene lactones have been studied for anti-inflammatory activity. Related species are used in the same way, and the Chinese pharmacopoeia allows several Inula species, which has prompted work to distinguish them chemically.

In Europe it is studied as a plant of declining wet meadow, and its seed bank has been examined because it reappears after years of absence when the ground is opened. Its rhizome growth has also been measured, since the plant can spread quickly in the right conditions.

Uses & Benefits

In the garden it suits a damp meadow, a pond margin or the back of a border, where its yellow flowers feed bees and butterflies in midsummer. The flower heads are collected for medicine in China, and the plant has a folk record in Europe as a diuretic and expectorant.

It is a useful plant for a wild garden where the soil stays moist, and it can be grown among rushes and sedges at the edge of a pond. The flowers are also visited by hoverflies, which makes it useful in a garden where aphids are a problem.

In China the flowers are gathered in late summer, dried in the shade and sold in pharmacies, and the plant is also grown in fields for that purpose. Its leaves are used in some regions as a poultice for bruises, and the root has a place in local practice as a diuretic.

Growing from Seed

Sow in spring at 15-20C, barely covering the seed; germination is usually within three weeks. Plant out in sun in moist but drained soil, and water in dry spells. In a meadow, sow it into a patch of thin grass and keep the surrounding growth short for the first year, since the seedlings are easily swamped. It can also be raised in pots and planted out in autumn, when the roots are dormant.

The plant spreads by rhizome, so give it room or lift and divide it every few years to keep the colony in check. Cut back after flowering if self-seeding is not wanted.

Our Take

A modest meadow plant with a long medicinal record, best grown where the ground stays damp. It is not showy, but it is reliable and it feeds a great many insects.

Herb Seeds