Practical
Plants

Thlaspi perfoliatum

Pennycress

an annual member of the Thlaspi genus in the family Brassicaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Thlaspi
Life cycle
annual
Height
0.25 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Bees, Flies, Self
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Flies, Self

Uses

Edible uses

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

Young leaves - raw or cooked[5][6][11][7][8][4]. A bitter taste and aroma[11][10]. Added to salads, cooked in soups or used as a potherb, they taste somewhat like mustard but with a hint of onion[3]. The seed is ground into a powder and used as a mustard substitute[1][3]. The seed can be sprouted and added to salads[3].

Product or use
Condiment
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Seed

Material uses

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

The seed contains 20 - 30% of a semi-drying oil, it is used for lighting[9].

Product or use
Oil

Environment

Range
Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to N. Africa and the eastern Mediterranean.
Habitat
Limestone spoil in Oxford, Gloucester, Wilts and Worcester, casual elsewhere[2].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
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 in situ in March or April.

Cultivation

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

Succeeds in most soils. Dislikes shade. An over-wintering annual, the seed germinating in the autumn[2].

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

    ↩1↩2

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

    ↩1↩2↩3

  4. Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-11-710012-9

    ↩

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

    ↩

  6. Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974-00-00 ISBN 0-00-219060-5

    ↩

  7. Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980-00-00

    ↩

  8. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

    ↩

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

    ↩

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

    ↩

  11. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩1↩2

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