Herb: Pennycress


Latin name: Thlaspi perfoliatum


Family: Cruciferae



Edible parts of Pennycress:

Young leaves - raw or cooked. A bitter taste and aroma. Added to salads, cooked in soups or used as a potherb, they taste somewhat like mustard but with a hint of onion. The seed is ground into a powder and used as a mustard substitute. The seed can be sprouted and added to salads.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Annual


Height:
25 cm
(9 3/4 inch)

Flowering:
May to
July

Habitat of the herb:

Limestone spoil in Oxford, Gloucester, Wilts and Worcester, casual elsewhere.

Other uses of Pennycress:

The seed contains 20 - 30% of a semi-drying oil, it is used for lighting.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - sow in situ in March or April.

Cultivation of Pennycress:

Limestone spoil in Oxford, Gloucester, Wilts and Worcester, casual elsewhere.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Thlaspi perfoliatum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.