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Peltaria alliacea - Jacq.

Garlic Cress

Author	Jacq.	Botanical references	50, 200
Family	Cruciferae	Genus	Peltaria
Synonyms
Known Hazards	None known
Range	E. Europe.
Habitat	Hills and woods[45].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	0 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen Perennial growing to 0.3m by 0.3m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) 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

Woodland Garden; Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Ground Cover;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves.

Leaves - raw or cooked[105]. A strong flavour, somewhat like a cross between garlic and mustard, the leaves make a reasonable flavouring for salads[K]. The leaves are available for most of the year, even in a severe winter they remain green and lush[K]. At this time they add an especially welcome spiciness to salads[K]. They can become rather bitter in the summer, though, especially if the plants are in a dry sunny position[K]. When flowering in early summer, the plants lose their leaves for a month or two - cutting down the flowering stems at this time will induce new fresh green growth[K]. Flowers - raw. A similar flavour to the leaves, with very little bitterness, they make a very tasty addition to summer salads[K].

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

Ground cover.

The plants can be used as a ground cover, somewhat slow spreading but they are effective in excluding weeds[K].

Scented Plants

Leaves: Crushed

The bruised leaves give off a powerful garlic smell which is difficult to remove from the hands[245].

Cultivation details

Prefers a light fertile moist soil in sun or light shade[200], though it is not too fussy[K]. A very easily grown plant that tolerates considerable neglect, it produces its best crop of leaves from autumn to spring and is a potentially valuable winter salad plant[K]. The bruised leaves give off a powerful garlic smell which is difficult to remove from the hands[245].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring or autumn in a cold frame[200]. The seed germinates rapidly, prick the seedlings out into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer[K]. Division in spring or autumn. Very easy, it can be done at almost any time of the year so long as the soil is kept moist. Divisions in the winter should be potted up in a greenhouse to allow themselves to establish, they can then be planted out in late spring.

Links

This plant is also mentioned in the following PFAF articles: Ground cover plants., The Urban Garden , Winter Salads, Alternative Edible Leaves, The Potted Garden, The Woodland Edge Garden.

References

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

[45] Polunin. O. Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Oxford University Press 1980 ISBN 0-19-217626-9
A good pocket flora, it also lists quite a few plant uses.

[50] ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964
An immense work in 6 volumes (including the index). The standard reference flora for europe, it is very terse though and with very little extra information. Not for the casual reader.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[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.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

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.

Peltaria alliacea

Pat Inman Wed May 2 2007

I found Peltaria alliacea quite fast spreading in full sun, well-drained soil , it has very attractive white flowers, good enough for the flower border but has to be kept in check!

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