Curry Plant
Answered by: Inge Poot
Question from: Pat Plant
Posted on: July 13, 1998

Can you tell me anything about growing curry. I purchased a small plant last year and it did not do much, however this year it as grown substantially and is flowering. Does it dry as well as other herbs? Do I cut it back after flowering or just leave it?

The so-called "curry" plant, Helichrysum italicum or Helichrysum angustifolium are not the real curry, but a plant that has a scent of curry. In dishes it imparts more of a fruity flavour with just a hint of curry. The curry of commerce is a mixture of spices with coriander as the most important ingredient.

As you probably noticed, the curry plant is a rather attractive plant with tiny, fluffy, yellow button flowers. Since the old flowering stems will eventually dry out, cutting the plant back after flowering is a good idea. The plant dries quite well, but the dried plant is more often used in dried flower arrangements than in food.

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