Peltaria alliacea
| Peltaria alliacea | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Peltaria alliacea (common name: garlic cress)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame[1]. The seed germinates rapidly, prick the seedlings out into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer[K].
Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, it can be done at almost any time of the year so long as the soil is kept moist. Divisions in the winter should be potted up in a greenhouse to allow themselves to establish, they can then be planted out in late spring.
Cultivation: Prefers a light fertile moist soil in sun or light shade[1], though it is not too fussy[K].
A very easily grown plant that tolerates considerable neglect, it produces its best crop of leaves from autumn to spring and is a potentially valuable winter salad plant[K].
The bruised leaves give off a powerful garlic smell which is difficult to remove from the hands[2].
Range: E. Europe.
Habitat: Hills and woods[3].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[4]. A strong flavour, somewhat like a cross between garlic and mustard, the leaves make a reasonable flavouring for salads[K]. The leaves are available for most of the year, even in a severe winter they remain green and lush[K]. At this time they add an especially welcome spiciness to salads[K]. They can become rather bitter in the summer, though, especially if the plants are in a dry sunny position[K]. When flowering in early summer, the plants lose their leaves for a month or two - cutting down the flowering stems at this time will induce new fresh green growth[K].
Flowers - raw. A similar flavour to the leaves, with very little bitterness, they make a very tasty addition to summer salads[K].
Usage: The plants can be used as a ground cover, somewhat slow spreading but they are effective in excluding weeds[K].
Notes: A very good source of winter leaves, the sulphur it provides is a very good blood purifier.
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Polunin, Oleg. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press, 1980.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.