Nasturtium officinale
| Nasturtium officinale | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Nasturtium officinale (common name: watercress)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a pot emmersed to half its depth in water. Germination should take place within a couple of weeks. Prick out seedlings into individual pots whilst they are still small and increase the depth of water gradually until they are submerged. Plant out into a pond in the summer.
Cuttings can be taken at any time in the growing season. Virtually any part of the plant, including a single leaf, will form roots if detached from the parent plant[1]. Just put it in a container of water until the roots are well formed and then plant out in shallow water.
Cultivation: Watercress is easily grown when given the correct conditions of slowly flowing clean water, preferably coming from chalky or limestone soils[2]. It prefers to grow in water about 5cm deep[3] with an optimum pH 7.2[4]. Plants can be grown in wet soil if the position is somewhat shaded and protection is given in winter, though the flavour may be hotter[5][3].
Hardy to about -15°c[4].
Watercress is often cultivated for its edible leaves, there are some named varieties[6][7]. The plant is very sensitive to pollution so a clean source of water is required[4]. Plants will often continue to grow all through mild winters. A fast-growing plant, the stems trail along the ground or float in water and produce new roots at the leaf nodes, thus making the plant very easy to propagate vegetatively[8]. Unfortunately, virus diseases have become more common in cultivated plants and so most propagation is carried out by seed[2].
This is a diploid species. It has hybridised naturally in the wild with the triploid species N. microphyllum to produce the sterile hybrid N. x sterilis which is also commonly cultivated as a salad crop[2].
The flowers are a rich source of pollen and so are very attractive to bees[9].
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Sweden and Denmark south and east to N. Africa and W. Asia.
Habitat: Stream margins, ditches, flushes etc with moving water[10][5], usually in chalk or limestone areas[11].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[12][13][9][14][6][5]. Water cress is mainly used as a garnish or as an addition to salads, the flavour is strong with a characteristic hotness[7]. It has a reputation as a spring tonic, and this is its main season of use, though it can be harvested for most of the year and can give 10 pickings annually[8]. Some caution is advised if gathering the plant from the wild, see the notes above on toxicity. The leaves are exceptionally rich in vitamins and minerals, especially iron[4]. A nutritional analysis is available[15].
The seed can be sprouted and eaten in salads[7]. A hot mustardy flavour[K].
The seed is ground into a powder and used as a mustard[16][7]. The 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 but bitter mustard[8].
Medicinal: Watercress is very rich in vitamins and minerals, and has long been valued as a food and medicinal plant[17]. Considered a cleansing herb, its high content of vitamin C makes it a remedy that is particularly valuable for chronic illnesses[17].
The leaves are antiscorbutic, depurative, diuretic, expectorant, purgative, hypoglycaemic, odontalgic, stimulant and stomachic[18][9][14][19][16][20][8]. The plant has been used as a specific in the treatment of TB[18]. The freshly pressed juice has been used internally and externally in the treatment of chest and kidney complaints, chronic irritations and inflammations of the skin etc[14]. Applied externally, it has a long-standing reputation as an effective hair tonic, helping to promote the growth of thick hair[21]. A poultice of the leaves is said to be an effective treatment for healing glandular tumours or lymphatic swellings[21]. Some caution is advised, excessive use of the plant can lead to stomach upsets[14][19]. The leaves can be harvested almost throughout the year and are used fresh[8].
Usage: The juice of the plant is a nicotine solvent and is used as such on strong tobaccos[9].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, self
Notes: This would love the running water in your little stream.
By a bunch in the greengrocers, put it in a jar of water until it roots and then plant it out.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Whilst the plant is very wholesome and nutritious, some care should be taken if harvesting it from the wild. Any plants growing in water that drains from fields where animals, particularly sheep, graze should not be used raw. This is due to the risk of it
Also Known As: Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum. (L.)Hayek. Sisymbrium nasturtium-aquaticum.
Links
References
- ↑ Muhlberg, Helmut. Complete Guide to Water Plants. Sterling Publishing, 1982.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Vegetables. Macmillan Reference Books, 1995.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Thompson, Robert. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son, 1878.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Vilmorin-Andrieux. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Simons, Arthur. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin, 1977.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Larkcom, Joy. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn, 1980.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Phillips, Roger. Herbs. Pan Books, 1990.