Rhynchosinapis wrightii
| Rhynchosinapis wrightii | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 3' |
| Width: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Early Summer |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Rhynchosinapis wrightii (common name: lundy cabbage)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame or outdoor seedbed. The seed usually germinates within a week. Prick out the pot-sown seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer. Those in the outdoor seedbed can be thinned as required (the thinnings can be transplanted or eaten) and be moved to their permanent positions when they are 15 - 25cm tall.
Cultivation: A very rare plant, it is only found growing wild on Lundy Island in the Bristol channel[1]. It requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil[K].
The plant is fairly hardy and should succeed outdoors in most parts of the country, though it tends to droop somewhat in very cold weather. It can provide edible leaves all year round, though there are scant pickings as the plant comes into flower and for a month or so afterwards[K].
Plants are generally quite short-lived perennials, though they usually self-sow freely when well-sited[K].
Range: Britain.
Habitat: Endemic to the cliffs and slopes on the eastern side of Lundy Island[1].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[2]. A flavour somewhere between a cabbage and a radish[K]. At its best for harvesting in the winter months, when it makes an acceptable addition to the salad bowl[K]. It is also a reasonable cabbage substitute when cooked[K].
Flowers and young flowering stems- raw or cooked[K]. The flowers make a decorative addition to the salad bowl, whilst the young flowering stems can be used like broccoli. A cabbage-like flavour but with a distinct bitterness[K].
Pollinators: Insects
Notes: We could supply this in the next catalogue.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Wind: Tolerates maritime wind exposure
In Leaf: Evergreen
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Mid Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Brassicella wrightii
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.