Thlaspi arvense
| Thlaspi arvense | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 6 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Mid Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Thlaspi arvense (common name: pennycress)
Propagation: Seed - sow in situ in March or April.
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils. Dislikes shade.
Range: Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to N. Africa, W. Asia, Siberia and Japan.
Habitat: Waste places and a weed of cultivated ground where it can be a serious pest[1][2][3].
Edibility: Young leaves - raw or cooked[4][5][6][7][8]. They should always be harvested before the plant comes into flower or they will be very bitter[9]. Even the young leaves have a somewhat bitter flavour and aroma, and are not to everyone's taste[9][10]. They can be added in small quantities to salads and other foods[9][11]. They can also be cooked in soups or used as a potherb, they taste somewhat like mustard but with a hint of onion[11]. For a leaf, it is very rich in protein[12].
The seed is ground into a powder and used as a mustard substitute[13][11].
The seed can be sprouted and added to salads[11].
Medicinal: Antirheumatic, diuretic[14][15].
The seed is a tonic[12]. Both the seed and the young shoots are said to be good for the eyes[12]. The seeds are used in Tibetan medicine and are considered to have an acrid taste and a cooling potency[16]. They are anti-inflammatory and febrifuge, being used in the treatment of pus in the lungs, renal inflammation, appendicitis, seminal and vaginal discharges[16].
The entire plant is antidote, anti-inflammatory, blood tonic, depurative, diaphoretic, expectorant, febrifuge and hepatic[17][12]. It is used in the treatment of carbuncles, acute appendicitis, intestinal abscess, post-partum pain, dysmenorrhoea and endometriosis[17]. Use with caution since large doses can cause a decrease in white blood cells, nausea and dizziness[17].
The plant has a broad antibacterial activity[12], effective against the growth of Staphylococci and streptococci[17].
Usage: The seed contains 20 - 30% of a semi-drying oil, it is used for lighting[18].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Mid Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Triska, Jan. Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn, 1975.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Mabey, Richard. Food for Free. Collins, 1974.
- ↑ Larkcom, Joy. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn, 1980.
- ↑ Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ Mitchell, Alan. Conifers in the British Isles. Stationery Office Books, 1975.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Harrington, Harold. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press, 1967.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Tsarong, Tsewang. Tibetan Medicinal Plants. Tibetan Medical Publications, 1994.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
- ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.