Lapsana communis
| Lapsana communis | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Lapsana communis (common name: nipplewort)
Propagation: Seed - sow in situ during the spring or as soon as it is ripe and only just cover the seed. Plants usually self sow when they are well-sited.
Cultivation: A fairly common garden weed, nipplewort will maintain itself in the garden so long as it is given some disturbed soil in which to self-sow. It is a fairly tolerant plant that succeeds in most soils, so long as they are not too acid, and dislikes heavy shade.
It was at one time cultivated as a vegetable[1].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa, western and central Asia.
Habitat: Waste ground, roadsides and walls, avoiding acid soils, in full sun or semi-shade[2][3].
Edibility: Young leaves and shoots - raw or cooked[4][2][1][5]. They are best harvested before the plant comes into flower[3]. The leaves can be added to salads, cooked like spinach or added to soups and casseroles[3][6]. They have a bitter or radish-like taste[6].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, lepidoptera, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Wind: Tolerates strong winds
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Europe. Oxford University Press, 1969.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.