Lepidium fremontii
| Lepidium fremontii | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 2' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Lepidium fremontii (common name: desert pepperweed)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Division in spring.
Cultivation: We have almost no 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 at least in the milder parts of the country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Succeeds in most soils.
Range: South-western N. America.
Habitat: Rocky or sandy places in scrub or woods below 1500 metres in California[1].
Edibility: Young leaves - raw or cooked[2]. A hot cress-like flavour.
Seed - dried and ground into a powder which can be used as a mush or mixed with cereal flours to make bread[3]. The seed can also be used as a flavouring[4][2].
The seeds can be pounded, mixed with water and used as a beverage[5].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Munz, David. A California Flora. University of California Press, 1959.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Yanovsky, Elias. Food Plants of the North American Indians Publication 237. US Department of Agriculture.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.