Cakile maritima
| Cakile maritima | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Cakile maritima (common name: sea rocket)
Propagation: Seed - sow late spring or early autumn in situ. Germination is usually rapid.
Cultivation: Prefers a light well-drained soil and a sunny position[1][2]. Plants are easily grown in a garden situation and can self-sow if the ground is disturbed by hoeing etc[K].
This species is closely related to C. edentula, which is native to N. America[3].
The seed is often dispersed by floating in sea water[3].
Range: Coastal areas of Europe, including Britain, the Mediterranean, Baltic and Black Seas.
Habitat: Sandy and shingly places all around the coast[3].
Edibility: Leaves, stems, flower buds and immature seedpods - raw or cooked. They are rich in vitamin C but have a very bitter taste[4][5]. Used mainly as a flavouring[6]. Very young leaves can be added to salads whilst older leaves can be mixed with milder tasting leaves and used as a potherb[7][K].
Root - dried and ground into a powder, then mixed with cereal flours and used to make bread[8]. A famine food, it is only used in times of scarcity[7].
The seed contains a fatty oil[9]. No more details are given.
Pollinators: Bees, flies, beetles, lepidoptera
Soil: Can grow in light soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: C. edentula. non Hook. Bunias cakile.
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Freethy, Ron. From Agar to Zenery. The Crowood Press, 1985.
- ↑ Corbetta, Francisco. The COmplete Book of Fruits and Vegetables. 1985.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.