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Arabidopsis thaliana - (L.)Heynh.

Thale Cress

Author	(L.)Heynh.	Botanical references	17
Family	Cruciferae	Genus	Arabidopsis
Synonyms	Arabis thaliana - L.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Most of Europe, including Britain, south and east to N. Africa and temperate Asia to Japan.
Habitat	Walls and banks, hedgerows and waste places, and on dry soils[17].
Edibility Rating	0 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Annual/Biennial growing to 0.5m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats

Hedgerow; East Wall In; South Wall In; West Wall In;

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Mouthwash.

The plant is used to cure sores in the mouth[240].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

We have no specific information on the cultivation needs of this species. It will probably grow best in a reasonably sunny position, tolerating dry and poor soils. Please see the plants native habitat for further ideas on its cultivation needs[K].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ.

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[240] 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
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Arabidopsis thaliana

Donald Heskett Fri Jun 23 2006

It should be noted that this plant is very widely used in botanical research.

Arabidopsis thaliana

Kim Gibson Sun Oct 22 2006

I agree with Donald. The 'Other Uses' section should be updated and include a discussion of the fact that this is the lab-rat of the plant sciences. The entire genome has been sequenced which has allowed for genetic, molecular, and biochemical studies. The Arabidopsis genome has been used as a reference point for other plants whose genomes have yet to be sequenced. The small size of the genome, short lifespan, and ease of growth of Arabidopsis makes it a good plant to use for general botanical research.

The Arabidopsis Information Resource "Database of genetic and molecular data" for Arabidopsis

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