Barbarea vulgaris

Winter cress ( Barbarea vulgaris)

The winter cress ( Barbarea vulgaris), also land cress, more ordinary cress or land cress Genuine called, is a flowering plant in the family (Brassicaceae ). The winter cress can be used as a salad or vegetables and it is said to have a blood purifying effect in naturopathy.

Features

The two-year plant reaches heights of growth between 30 to 90 cm. It forms the first year of their leaves and in spring on the yellow petals appear. The basal leaves are lyre-shaped: you have several pairs of lateral lobes and a roundish, often heart-shaped at the base terminal lobe.

It will be developed rich flowering racemose inflorescences. The hermaphroditic, flowers are fourfold radial symmetry and have a diameter 7-9 mm. The four petals are golden. The pods fruits are 15-25 mm long and stand upright on the stalk, on thin, 4-6 mm long pedicels with a 2 to 3 mm long fruit stylus.

Ecology

The winter cress is a two year Hemikryptophyt and a half rosette plant.

The flowers are " nectar leading disk flowers ". The two crescent-shaped discs are deposited abundant nectar which is collected in the outgrowths of the sepals. Also, self-pollination is successful. Bloom time is from May to June.

The pods fruits are subject to wind dispersal and are self- spreader. People propagation takes place as a cultivated plant and synanthropic. The seeds have about 30 % fatty oil. Fruit ripening from May to July.

Occurrence

This species is distributed worldwide now in the temperate zone.

It grows along roadsides, fields, Spülsäumen of water, gravel pits and railway embankments. Nitrogen-containing soils are preferred.

Origin of the name

The winter cress is dedicated to Saint Barbara, the patron saint of miners and quarry workers. In many areas it is therefore also called land cress. Also the use of leaves as wild vegetables to December ( St. Barbara ) as a possible name origin.

The pungent taste of the plants caused by the mustard oil glycosides contained therein, gave cress her name, derived from the Old High German word Cresso, sharp '.

Other popular names for winter cress are: Genuine land cress, common watercress, spring cress. Furthermore, there are or were for the plant species, some of them only regionally, the other German Common names: St. Barbara herb St. Barbelkraut, Barbe herb, Yellow mugwort, Wrong Bumac, hawkweed (Silesia ), Sour wild radish (Eifel in Dreis ), Racket herb, Räbkressich, Rapuntzel ( East Prussia ), Schnödsenf (Silesia ), mustard cabbage, sweet alyssum, water and wild mustard oil (St. Gallen at Will hill).

Use

The fresh leaves of winter cress, up into the winter as flavorful, vitamin-rich salad plant available. Fish dishes, it gives a sharp and spicy note.

Winter cress is reminiscent of the sharp spicy taste of cress or watercress. Add butter braised winter cress produces a spinach -like vegetable.

Ingredients

Winter cress contains many vitamins and glucosinolates, flavonoids and saponins in different profiles.

Use as a medicinal plant

Winter cress stimulates the appetite, purifies the blood and diuretic.

Cultivation

Winter Cress can be sown in spring or fall, and then increasingly as undemanding plant itself usually it grows best in partial shade on moist and loamy soils.