Cardaria draba
| Cardaria draba | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Cardaria draba (common name: hoary cress)
Propagation: Seed - sow in situ in spring. There is very little need to encourage this plant, it is a rapidly spreading weed in Britain.
Division in spring.
Cultivation: Succeeds in a sunny position in most soils.
Range: Europe - Mediterranean to W. Asia. Naturalized in Britain[1].
Habitat: A weed of arable fields, it is spreading rapidly in Britain[1].
Edibility: Young leaves and shoots - raw in salads or cooked as a potherb[2][3][4][5]. A report says that the young leaves contain the toxin hydrogen cyanide, though does not give any more details[6]. In small quantities this substance is fairly harmless, and has even been recommended as having health benefits, but caution is suggested if you eat these leaves[K].
The pungent leaves are used as a seasoning[5].
The seed is used as a condiment, it is a pepper substitute[2][1][3][7][8][5].
Medicinal: The plant is antiscorbutic[6].
The seeds have been used as a cure for flatulence and fish poison[6]. It is assumed that this report is referring to food poisoning caused by eating suspect fish[K].
Pollinators: Bees, insects, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Lepidium draba.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
- ↑ Niebuhr, Alta. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America, 1970.