Practical
Plants

Lepidium ruderale

Narrow Leaved Peppergrass

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

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual, biennial
Height
0.3 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 - raw or cooked. A hot cress-like flavour[2].

Plant part
Leaves

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 is used in the treatment of impetigo[3]. An aqueous extract of the herb causes a drop in blood pressure and depresses respiration[3].

Product or use
Hypotensive
Product or use
Skin

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to the Mediterranean and southwest Asia.
Habitat
Waste places and by waysides, generally by the sea and especially in E. Anglia[1].
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 or late summer in situ. The seed should germinate within 3 weeks.

Cultivation

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

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils.

References

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

    ↩

  2. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  3. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2

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