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Barbarea vulgaris - R.Br.

Yellow Rocket

Author	R.Br.	Botanical references	17, 200
Family	Cruciferae	Genus	Barbarea
Synonyms	Campe barbarea - (L.) W. Wight ex Piper. Erysimum barbarea - L.
Known Hazards	There is a report that ingestion of the leaves can lead to kidney malfunction[222].
Range	Most of Europe, including Britain, south and east to N. Africa and Asia.
Habitat	Moist places, roadsides, stream banks and hedges[9].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.35m.

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 semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Hedgerow; North Wall By;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves.

Young leaves - raw or cooked like spinach[2, 9, 27, 46, 52, 95]. A hot cress-like flavour[183]. Young leaves are chopped up finely and added to salads, older leaves can be used as a potherb but they are rather strong and are best cooked in one or two changes of water[183]. The leaves are available all year round, even in the winter, especially if the weather is mild[95, 115]. To increase the productivity of the plants, remove the flowering stems as they appear (they can be eaten like the leaves[K]) and pick the outer leaves as the plant regrows[244]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. Young flowering stems - harvested before the flowers open and cooked like broccoli[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.

Antiscorbutic; Appetizer; Diuretic; Vulnerary.

The leaves are vulnerary and have been used as a poultice for treating wounds[207, 240]. A tea made from the leaves is appetizer, antiscorbutic and diuretic[222].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeeds in sun or shade in a moist well-drained soil[1, 111]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.8 to 7.5. The plant can continue to grow all winter, especially if the weather is mild[183]. A short-lived perennial[1], though plants usually self-sow freely when in a suitable position[K]. There is at least one named form, developed for its ornamental value. 'Variegata' has variegated leaves and grows less strongly than the type[183]. A good bee plant[108].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 3 weeks. Division in spring. his plant is a short-lived perennial, and also usually self-sows freely, so we have not found division to be worthwhile.

Cultivars

No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Winter Salads.

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.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[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.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press 0 ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[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.

[95] Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976 ISBN 0-486-23310-3
Useful wild plants of America. A pocket guide.

[108] International Bee Research Association. Garden Plants Valuable to Bees. International Bee Research Association. 1981
The title says it all.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain. 0
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.

[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.

[207] Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6
A nice read, lots of information on plant uses.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[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.

[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.

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