Lepidium campestre

Field cress ( Lepidium campestre )

The field cress ( Lepidium campestre ) is a flowering plant in the family of cruciferous plants ( Brassicaceae).

Description

In the field - cress is a one-or two-year herbaceous plant reaches the plant height usually between 12 and 50 ( 8-60 ) cm. It grows upright and has a fluffy - felty hairy stems, is branched in the upper part typically.

The lower leaves are narrowed elongated in shape and in the petiole. They are perforated at the edge sinuate or rarely lyre-shaped fiederlappig. The upper ones are merely denticulate.

The heyday of the field cress lies mainly in the months of May to July. The racemose inflorescences contain no bracts. The hermaphrodite flowers are cruciform. The four hairy to smooth sepals (rarely 1 ) ​​is usually 1.3 to 1.8 mm long. The four white petals usually nailed at its base having a length of 1.8 to 2.5 (1.5 to 3) mm, and a width of ( 0.2 to ) is usually 0.5 to 0.7 mm. The six stamens consist of usually 1.5 to 1.8 ( 1.2 to 2 ) mm long stamens and 0.3 to 0.5 mm long anthers. The short style ends in a capitate, yellowish scar.

The ovoid, 5-6 mm long silicles are winged from the center toward the wide and densely covered with scaly sores. In the ripe fruit the short stylus barely protrudes out from the Ausrandung. For this type typically are the flaky sores that cover the little pods. Each fruit tray contains only one seed. The dark brown seeds have a length of 2 to 2.3bn ( rarely up to 2.8 ) mm and a diameter of 1 to 1.3 mm. Fruit ripening takes place from June to August.

  • Cauline
  • Fruit stand
  • Silicles

Autecology

The field cress often thrives as a winter annual plant.

The horizontal standing at maturity silicles burst by striking rain and the seeds are ejected, the silicles thus act as Regenballist.

Occurrence

The distribution of field - cress ranges from Europe to Southwest Asia to Russia and China. The field cress is found in all of Europe.

In Germany the field cress is widespread, but locally it is quite rare to find. In Austria it comes in the Pannonian area more frequently, but is otherwise rare. In Switzerland, is everywhere.

Lepidium campestre flourishes in rubble and weed societies. It prefers dry, warm, nutrient-rich and loamy soils.

Use

The green parts of the plant can be eaten raw or cooked. The immature little pods and the seeds can be used for seasoning.

Swell

  • Tai - Yien Cheo, Lianli Lu, Guang Yang, Ihsan Al- Shehbaz & Vladimir Dorofeev: Brassicaceae: Lepidium campestre, pp. 29 - text Registered as printed work, In: Wu Zheng -yi and Peter H. Raven (eds.): Flora of China, Volume 8 - Brassicaceae through Saxifragaceae, Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing and Saint Louis, 2002, ISBN 0-915279-93-2. ( Description section )
  • Ruprecht Duell, Herfried Kutzelnigg: Pocket Dictionary of Plants in Germany and neighboring countries. The most common central European species in the portrait. 7, revised and expanded edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2011, ISBN 978-3-494-01424-1. (Section Ecology )
Genus
329597
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