Cardamine pennsylvanica
| Cardamine pennsylvanica | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Cardamine pennsylvanica (common name: bittercress)
Propagation: Seed - sow outdoors in a seedbed in a shady position in April. Plant out in autumn or spring.
Division.
Cultivation: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in most parts of this country. A polymorphic species[1], it is closely related to C. parviflora[2]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Prefers a moist humus rich soil in shade or semi-shade[3] but succeeds in most soils that are not dry[4].
Range: N. America - Newfoundland to Minnesota and Montana, south to Florida, Tennessee and Kansas.
Habitat: Usually found in moist or wet soils[5], it grows in most soils and habitats in eastern N. America[1].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[6][7][5][8]. An excellent water cress substitute[9]. A slightly bitter flavour, but not disagreeable[10].
The grated raw root is used as a condiment[10].
Medicinal: The leaves and the flowering plant are carminative and digestive[11].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, lepidoptera
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Spring-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Diggs, George and Barney Lipscomb. Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas. Botanical Research Institute, 1999.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press, 1977.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.
- ↑ Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.