Chile Tarweed, Coast tarweed

Madia sativa

Physical Characteristics

Madia sativa is a ANNUAL growing to 0.8 m (2ft 7in). It is in flower from July to August, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Distribution

S. America - Chile.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Oil Oil Seed Edible Uses: Oil Oil Seed - raw or cooked[257]. Although quite small, the seed was a staple food for some native North American Indian tribes[257]. Rich in oil, it can be roasted then ground into a powder and eaten dry, mixed with water, or combined with cereal flours[94, 94, 183, 257]. The seed was also used as piñole[257]. The seed contains about 41% of a sweet edible oil, about 28% can be extracted from the seed in an oil press[2, 46, 61]. Of a high quality, it can be used as a substitute for olive oil[2, 183]. The oil does not solidify until the temperature drops to -11°c[95].

Medicinal Uses

None known

Known Hazards

None known