Iberis amara
| Iberis amara | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 0.5' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Iberis amara (common name: rocket candytuft)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in situ for summer flowering or late summer in situ for a spring flowering[1]. The seed germinates within 3 weeks.
Cultivation: Easily grown in a good, well-drained ordinary garden soil in a sunny position[2]. Prefers a calcareous soil but tolerates mildly acid soils[2]. Succeeds in poor soils[1] and on dry walls[2].
A very ornamental plant[2]. A fast growing plant[3], do not grow the plants too close together[2].
The flowers are sweetly scented[4].
Range: Western and southern Europe, including Britain, to N. Africa.
Habitat: Dry calcareous soils on hillsides and in cornfields[5].
Edibility: The seeds are sometimes used as a source of mustard[6][7][8]. Pungency of mustard develops when cold water is added to the ground-up seed - an enzyme (myrosin) acts on a glycoside (sinigrin) to produce a sulphur compound. The reaction takes 10 - 15 minutes. Mixing with hot water or vinegar, or adding salt, inhibits the enzyme and produces a mild bitter mustard[9].
Medicinal: Little used in modern herbalism, rocket candytuft is a bitter-tasting tonic, aiding digestion and relieving wind and bloating[10]. It is traditionally taken to treat gout, rheumatism and arthritis[10].
All parts of the plant are antirheumatic and antiscorbutic[6]. The seeds are considered very useful in the treatment of asthma, bronchitis and dropsy[11][12]. The plant is gathered in the summer and can be dried for later use[10]. The seeds are harvested when fully ripe[10].
A common homeopathic remedy is made from the seeds[11].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.