SEEDS OF BUTCHER´S BROOM - RUSCUS ACULEATUS

Decorative small shrub. Dried leaves used in flower arrangements. Used as fresh cut foliage in winter. Diuretic, aperitive, anti-oedema and cosmetic properties. Used against cellulite, varicose veins, arthritis and even gout. The young buds are sometimes eaten as asparagus and the seeds can replace coffee. 

Evergreen shrub up to 1 m. with very showy, sealing-wax-red berries all winter long. Small green leaves. Green-whitish and little noticeable flowers. Adapts to any cool or humid soils.

Depending on the geographical areas and altitude sowing can take place from February to April. To obtain a more regular and faster germination stratify in cold the seeds for 90-120 days before the sowing. It is possible to use a sowing substrate for potting or soil from the garden together with a sowing substrate if the sowing is made directly into the garden. The substrate must be wet but not soggy until the germination is completed.