Lepidium perfoliatum
L.
Clasping pepperweed
(c) FreckLes, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by FreckLes
(c) Denys Davydov, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Denys Davydov
(c) Olexii Kovalenko, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Olexii Kovalenko
What to Eat
Edible parts: Leaves
Young leaves - raw or cooked. A hot cress-like flavour.
Where to Find It
E. Europe to E. Asia. An introduced casual in Britain.
TEMPERATE ASIA: Afghanistan, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Russian Federation-Ciscaucasia (Ciscaucasia), Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russian Federation (Dagestan), Russian Federation (Buryatia (south), Altay, Krasnoyarsk (south)), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, China (Gansu Sheng, Jiangsu Sheng, Liaoning Sheng, Shanxi Sheng, Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu) TROPICAL ASIA: India (Uttar Pradesh), Pakistan EUROPE: Austria (east), Hungary, Russian Federation-European part (European part (south)), Ukraine (incl. Krym), Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Croatia, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia
How to Identify
Lepidium perfoliatum is a ANNUAL/BIENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft). It is in flower from May to June. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
How to Grow
Succeeds in most soils. The plant is occasionally cultivated as a vegetable in China.
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in situ. Germination should take place within 3 weeks.
Medicinal Uses
Antiscorbutic. The plant is used as an antiscorbutic.
