Back to main Search Page

Lepidium latifolium - L.

Dittander

Author	L.	Botanical references	17
Family	Cruciferae	Genus	Lepidium
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa and W. Asia.
Habitat	Salt marshes and wet sands[17] on the south and east coasts[5].
Edibility Rating	3 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 1.2m by 1m.

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

Habitats

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Meadow; Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Root.

Edible Uses: Condiment.

Young leaves - raw or cooked[2, 61, 74]. A very hot cress-like flavour[K]. The leaves are nice when used in small quantities as a flavouring in salads[K]. Some reports also suggest using them as a potherb[183], though they have always seemed to be too strong for us to want to try this[K]. The leaves are available very early in the year[K]. Root - it can be grated and made into a sauce which is used as a horseradish substitute[2, 5, 183]. It has a pungently hot flavour. Seed - used as a condiment[177, 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; Depurative; Hepatic; Kidney; Resolvent; Stomachic.

The plant is antiscorbutic, depurative and stomachic[61, 240]. An infusion of the plant is used in the treatment of liver and kidney diseases, it increases cardiac amplitude, decreases frequency and regulates the rhythm[240]. It is also used as a resolvent in the treatment of skin diseases[240].

Other Uses

Insecticide.

Used as an insecticide[100]. No further details are given, but it is likely to be a strong infusion of the leaves and stems that is used.

Cultivation details

A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils in sun or light shade. Plants have been surviving quite happily with us, and are still spreading freely, in dense grass that is rarely cut[K]. Dittander was formerly cultivated as a food condiment in Britain and in ancient Greece[17, 183]. It is a very invasive plant, capable of spreading more than a metre per year by means of its aggressive root system[K]. It produces new growth early in the year and so can be a useful salad ingredient in late winter[K].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the spring. Division in spring. Plant them out direct into their permanent positions. Division is very simple and succeeds at almost any time of the year[K].

Links

References

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

[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.

[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.

[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.

[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.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[100] Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969 ISBN 0192176218
An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[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.

[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.

Add a comment/link:

Discussion Monitor

To have posts to this page mailed to you enter your email address here:

(Your email address will not appear on the webpage or be passed on to third parties).