"Sanguisorba minor (Salad burnet, Garden burnet, Small burnet, burnet) is a plant in the family Rosaceae that is native to western, central and southern Europe; northwest Africa and southwest Western Asia; and which has naturalized in most of North America. It is a perennial herbaceous plant growing to 16 - 35 inches tall (40 - 90 cm), typically found in dry grassy meadows, often on limestone soils. It is drought-tolerant, and grows all year around.

It is used as an ingredient in both salads and dressings, having a flavor described as "light cucumber" and is considered interchangeable with mint leaves in some recipes, depending on the intended effect. Typically, the youngest leaves are used, as they tend to become bitter as they age.

It also has a respectable history, called a favorite herb by Francis Bacon, and was brought to the New World with the first English colonists, even getting special mention by Thomas Jefferson."

Taken from wikipedia's page at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S...

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Salad burnet is both beautifully ornamental and flavored. The leaves grow in stems in a tidy pattern, and the leaves have a mild cucumber flavor that can be used in salads or drinks. Plants do like to try to seed at the end of the season, but very easy to keep trimmed.

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