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Silverweed

Roots & Tubers

Silverweed

Argentina anserina (syn. Potentilla anserina)

A native creeping perennial once valued for its starchy edible roots — silvery leaves above ground, a forgotten root food beneath it.

Perennial root cropNative edibleSpreading groundcover
Awaiting restock

Plants are grown on a small scale. The exact supplied size and format can vary with the season; when this item is available, the current sale details are shown here.

This plant is currently awaiting restock.
LifecycleHardy perennial that spreads by runners and returns each year
PositionFull sun to partial shade
SoilAdaptable, but happiest in moist, reasonably fertile soil. It tolerates a wide range of textures and is often associated with damp grassland, pathsides and coastal ground.
Garden sizeUsually only 10–25 cm tall but capable of spreading widely by stolons, potentially 1 m or more if unchecked
ContainerCan be grown in a wide container at least 25–30 cm deep, which also makes its runners easier to control and roots easier to harvest
Historic erasAncient
Worth knowing: Silverweed has a history of food use, but it is not a mainstream modern vegetable and sources note possible stomach irritation in some people. Correct identification and modest culinary quantities are sensible when trying it for the first time.

Why it belongs in a forgotten garden

Silverweed — the story

Why grow it?

A genuine forgotten food plant: a tough native groundcover that stores energy in edible roots and shows how earlier food systems blurred the line between wild gathering and cultivation.

History & context

Silverweed is widespread across Britain and Europe and has a documented history as an edible root plant. Older sources record it being cultivated for its roots, including traditions in Scotland. It sits exactly on the boundary between gathered wild food and deliberately managed crop.

Explore its place in Ancient garden history.

Growing guide

How to grow Silverweed

Soil & position

Adaptable, but happiest in moist, reasonably fertile soil. It tolerates a wide range of textures and is often associated with damp grassland, pathsides and coastal ground.

Light: Full sun to partial shade

Water

Keep young plants moist while establishing. Mature plants tolerate normal fluctuations but produce better growth in soil that does not remain bone dry.

Propagation

Seed can be sown in autumn or spring, but division and rooted runners are the simplest way to establish new plants. Once established, the plant propagates itself readily by stolons.

Sowing referenceSow Oct–Nov, germinates springDepth: 0.5 cm • Cold treatment: Optional

Ongoing care

Control runners if you do not want a spreading patch. Lift and replant selected crowns after harvest so the colony remains productive rather than becoming an uncontrolled mat.

From garden to kitchen

Harvesting & eating it

When to harvest

Roots are best investigated from late summer into autumn once the plant has had a full season to build reserves.

The storage roots are lifted when well developed, traditionally later in the season. Follow individual runners to find rooted crowns and the slender roots beneath them. Leave enough crowns behind for the patch to recover.

What is edible?

The starchy roots are the main traditional food; young shoots have also been recorded as edible.

Flavour & cooking

The roots are described as crisp, nutty and starchy. Scrub them well and cook much as you would a small root vegetable — simmer, roast or pan-fry — rather than expecting the bulk of a modern potato.

Food value

The roots supply carbohydrate and starch rather than the bulk and yield of a modern potato. Ethnobotanical and nutritional work on silverweed root foods also reports useful calcium, magnesium, iron and other minerals.

Traditional medicinal uses, where mentioned in the historical material, are included as history rather than medical advice.

Kitchen history

Buttered Silverweed roots

A deliberately simple preparation for an old root food: cook the roots until tender, then let butter and herbs do the rest.

Silverweed roots were once gathered and in some places cultivated as food, including traditions recorded in Scotland.

You’ll need

  • 250 g cleaned Silverweed roots, if you have enough for a small dish
  • 20 g butter or 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small sprig thyme, leaves picked
  • A squeeze of lemon
  • Salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Scrub the roots very thoroughly and trim away damaged or woody sections.
  2. Simmer in lightly salted water until they are tender enough to pierce easily.
  3. Drain well, then heat the butter or oil in a frying pan.
  4. Add the roots and thyme and cook for a few minutes until lightly coloured.
  5. Finish with lemon, salt and black pepper.

How tough is it?

Resilience, pests & garden value

Resilience

Very hardy and adaptable, especially in moist ground. It tolerates coastal exposure and can spread vigorously once happy, so site it where runners are useful rather than troublesome.

Pests & practical problems

Can become invasive in a small bed because every runner can root and make another crown. Dry compacted soil limits root development and makes harvesting more awkward.

Wildlife value

Yellow flowers are visited by bees, flies and beetles, while the low mat provides ground-level cover.

Growing in a container

Can be grown in a wide container at least 25–30 cm deep, which also makes its runners easier to control and roots easier to harvest

Container plants generally need more frequent watering and feeding than the same plant in open ground.

Ready to grow it?

Silverweed

Plants are grown on a small scale. The exact supplied size and format can vary with the season; when this item is available, the current sale details are shown here.

Awaiting restock

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