Blitum bonus-henricus

The leprechaun plant

The leaves of this 'forgotten vegetable' can be eaten like spinach. Traditionally the seeds were sewn in the spring and then left to grow for a year. The following spring the young shoots would be covered by a layer of earth to bleach them and then left to reemerge (similar to the way chicory is cultivated).

The Dutch common name, ‘brave Hendrik’, comes from the German guter Heinrich. Hein comes from Heim or habitation and rich means edible. Therefore this wild vegetable was known to grow around dwellings. Its powers were traditionally attributed to elves, goblins and gnomes - in popular German culture leprechauns are often called Heinrich.

Since 1950 this extremely rare plant has only been recorded as present on a very few sites in the Netherlands.

Victim to improved hygiene

Good King Henry is a frost hardy plant with fleshy, arrow shaped leaves. The leaf of this ‘forgotten vegetable’ can be eaten like spinach. Historically gardeners sowed the seed in the spring and left the plant to grow for a year. The young shoots that appeared the following spring were blanched by mounding the earth around them or putting them under a clay dome (similar to the methods used for chicory). The pale shoots could be eaten steamed or raw in salads. The Dutch vernacular name, Brave Hendrik, originates from the German, ‘Gute Heinrich’: ‘Hein’ comes from ‘Heim’ or home and ‘rich’ means edible. This wild vegetable was thus grown near the house. The powers of the plant were traditionally attributed to elves, goblins or gnomes, who in German literature were often named Heinrich. If good healing powers occurred people spoke of ‘good Heinrich’, but if the effects were adverse then they spoke of ‘evil Heinrich’.

Ecology and habitat

Good King Henry grows in damp, sunny, sheltered places on warm, nitrogen rich, disturbed soils frequently fertilised by organic matter. This species can be found in grave yards, along the roadside and especially on and around farms with compost heaps and cesspits, and also on fallow land along hedges and old walls, on humus-rich rough pastures and sometimes in cultivated fields.

Threat

This extremely rare plant was previously distributed across the Netherlands with strongholds in the Betuwe and south of Limburg. It has fallen victim to the improved hygiene methods and across Europe has declined sharply, except in the mountains. Since 1950 it has only been found on a small number of sites in the Netherlands, in recent years it has only been stable in Camerig (near Epen) in Zuid-Limburg.