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Lepidium ruderale - L.

Narrow Leaved Peppergrass

Author	L.	Botanical references	17
Family	Cruciferae	Genus	Lepidium
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to the Mediterranean and southwest Asia.
Habitat	Waste places and by waysides, generally by the sea and especially in E. Anglia[17].
Edibility Rating	2 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Annual/Biennial growing to 0.3m.

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 moist soil.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves.

Young leaves - raw or cooked. A hot cress-like flavour[177].

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.

Hypotensive; Skin.

The plant is used in the treatment of impetigo[240]. An aqueous extract of the herb causes a drop in blood pressure and depresses respiration[240].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring or late summer in situ. The seed should germinate within 3 weeks.

Links

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.

[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.

[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.

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