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Turritis glabra - L.

Tower Cress

Author	L.	Botanical references	17, 200
Family	Cruciferae	Genus	Turritis
Synonyms	Arabis glabra - (L.)Bernh. Arabis perfoliata - Lam.
Known Hazards	None known
Range	Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa, temperate Asia to Japan.
Habitat	Dry banks, cliffs and rocks, roadsides and waste places, especially in E. England[17].
Edibility Rating	1 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	1 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Annual/Biennial growing to 0.6m.

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; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Deep Shade; North Wall In; East Wall In;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves.

Edible Uses: Tea.

Young leaves - cooked[177, 179]. An infusion of the plant can be used as a beverage[257].

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.

Miscellany; Stomachic.

An infusion of the plant has been used to check a cold when it first appears[257]. An infusion of the plant has been used as a general preventative for sickness and is given to children when sickness is about[257].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, doing well in ordinary well-drained soil[1]. It also succeeds in dry soils and on walls[K]. Suitable for the wild garden in situations similar to those in its wild habitat[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow late summer in situ.

Links

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 Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[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.

[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[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.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. 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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