Practical
Plants

Descurainia incana

Mountain Tansy Mustard

an annual or biennial member of the Descurainia genus in the family Brassicaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual, biennial
Height
1 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Self

Uses

Edible uses

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

Young leaves - cooked. A bitter taste[8]. Seed - raw or cooked[5][1]. The seed can be used as a mustard substitute in soups, stews etc. It can be roasted, ground into a powder then mixed with water to make a fine batter and drunk[3]. The seed is also ground into a meal and mixed with cereal flours when making bread, or as a thickening for soups etc[7][8].

Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

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

The plant has been used as a lotion for parts of the body that have become frozen in the cold and also as a lotion for sore throats[3]. No more information is given, but it is likely that the crushed seed was used for this since, being similar to mustard, it will probably have a rubefacient effect upon the skin, drawing more blood to that area of the body and thereby heating it[K]. The plant is mashed and applied to bad cuts[3].

Product or use
Poultice

Environment

Range
Western N. America. A casual in Britain[2].
Habitat
Found in many habitats at lower mountain elevations[6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

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

Seed - sow spring in situ.

Cultivation

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

We have almost no information on this species but since it is a casual in Britain there should be no problems in cultivating it here and it is probably not too fussy about soil or situation. We suggest growing it in a dry to moist soil in a sunny position. There is some confusion as to the correct name for this species with some authorities using the name D. richardsonii.

References

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

    ↩

  2. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩

  3. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  4. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

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

    ↩

  6. Hitchcock. C. L. Vascular Plants of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press 1955-00-00

    ↩

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

    ↩

  8. Harrington. H. D. Edible Native Plants of the Rocky Mountains. University of New Mexico Press 1967-00-00 ISBN 0-8623-0343-9

    ↩1↩2

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