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Barbarea verna - (Mill.)Asch.

Land Cress

Author	(Mill.)Asch.	Botanical references	200
Family	Cruciferae	Genus	Barbarea
Synonyms	Barbarea praecox - (Sm.)R.Br. Campe verna - (P. Mill.) Heller.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	S.W. Europe. Naturalized in Britain[17].
Habitat	Waste and cultivated ground.
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Biennial growing to 0.3m by 0.25m.

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

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Deep Shade; North Wall By;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Seed.

Edible Uses: Oil.

Young leaves - raw, cooked or used as a seasoning[1, 2, 33, 37, 52]. A hot, spicy watercress flavour, they are delicious in salads[183, 244]. Leaves can be obtained throughout the year if autumn-sown plants are given a light protection in winter[1]. An edible oil is obtained from the seed[46, 52, 61, 183]. The seed can be sprouted and added to salads etc[183].

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.

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeeds in sun or shade in a moist well-drained soil,[200] growing well on a north facing wall[33, 52]. The summer crop is best if it is given some shade whilst the winter crop succeeds in sunny positions[1, 200]. Land cress is often cultivated as a salad plant, when it is usually treated as an annual[46]. It can supply leaves all year round from successional sowings[1]. In hot weather plants soon run to seed unless they are kept shaded and moist[183]. The leaves taste much hotter in the summer[K]. Plants usually self-sow freely when growing in a suitable position[K].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring to September in situ at 3-weekly intervals to provide a succession of leaves. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 3 weeks.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Winter Salads, Plants for Problem Places - North Facing Walls and Deep Shade.

References

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

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[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.

[33] Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber 1960
Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[52] Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.

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.

Barbarea verna

Barbara Cook Tue May 1 2007

Some people eat 6-12 raw seed pods of this plant before food in the AM and PM as a vermifuge. Also used similarly to horseradish for catarrh, cold, indigestion, and flatulence. Its actions are considered mild.

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