Practical
Plants

Crambe tatarica

Tartar Bread Plant

a perennial member of the Crambe genus in the family Brassicaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Crambe
Life cycle
perennial
Height
1 m
Spread
1 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves and young stems- raw or cooked[7][11][15]. Usually blanched in much the same way as seakale (C. maritima)[14][6]. Root - raw or cooked[3]. The root, which can be as thick as a person's arm, is fleshy and sweet[7][6]. It can be used raw in salads, or be cooked as a vegetable[7]. It can be dried and ground into a powder, then mixed with cereal flours when making bread[7]. The root is rich in starch and sugars[15].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root

Environment

Range
E. Europe to W. Asia.
Habitat
Bushy and grassy places[10], it is also found on chalky slopes[15].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow March/April in a seedbed outdoors and either thin the plants out or move them to their permanent positions when about 10cm tall[4]. The young plants are very attractive to slugs so some protection will often be needed. Germination can be slow so it is best to sow the seed in pots in a cold frame[5]. Germination usually takes place in 3 - 26 weeks at 15°c[5]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out into their permanent positions when they are at least 10cm tall. Division in spring or autumn[1][4]. Dig up the root clump and cut off as many sections as you require, making sure they all have at least one growing point. The larger of these divisions can be planted out straight into their permanent positions, though small ones are best potted up and grown on in a cold frame until they are established. Root cuttings, 3 - 10 cm long, in spring[2]. These can be planted straight into the open ground or you can pot them up in the greenhouse and plant them out once they are growing strongly.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

An easily grown plant, succeeding in a good loam and an open sunny position[1]. Prefers a slightly alkaline soil in a position sheltered from strong winds[8]. Tolerates poor soil and some shade[8]. Dislikes acid soils[1]. A deep-rooted plant[9], it dislikes root disturbance[5]. This is an aggregate species[13]. There is some confusion over the correct spelling of this species name, it is written as C. tataria in some books[12]. Plants can be grown in the summer meadow if the grass is not cut too low (since this would damage the growing point)[8]. A good bee plant[15].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  2. RHS. The Garden. Volume 111. Royal Horticultural Society 1986-00-00

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  3. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  4. Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  5. Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  6. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2

  7. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  8. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3

  9. Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8

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  10. Polunin. O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-19-217626-9

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  11. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

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  12. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

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  13. Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds. Frederick Muller Ltd 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-584-10141-4

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  14. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  15. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

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