An annual/perennial growing to 0.6m (2ft). Leaves are eaten raw. They can be finely chopped and added sparingly to salads or used as a flavouring for cooked dishes. A piquant flavour, somewhat resembling rocket (Eruca sativa), but with a sharp aftertaste. Wall Rocket prefers dry soils and dislikes shade. Very resistant to heat, this plant could be used as a perennial substitute for Eruca vesicaria sativa, the annual rocket, in hot summer areas.
Seed is best sown in situ as soon as it is ripe, though it can also be sown in situ in the spring. The seed usually germinates in the autumn.
Wall Rocket, Annual wallrocket.
Diplotaxis muralis – (L.) DC.
Family: Brassicaceae or Cruciferae
Known Hazards: None known
Natural Habitats: Limestone rocks, walls and as a weed of arable ground in England.
Natural Range: Europe – Mediterranean. Naturalized in S. Britain.
Hardiness Zones: USDA 6-9. UK 7. It is not frost tender.
Size: growing to 0.6m (2ft)
Growth: F
Soil: (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained dry or moist soil.
Soil pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
Light: It cannot grow in the shade
References: 17, 52, 132, 175, 183
Edibility Rating: 3
Forest Garden Use: Herbaceous Layer, Woodland Garden Sunny Edge
Database entry http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Diplotaxis+muralis
Perennial Wall Rocket
Diplotaxis tenuifolia – (L.)DC.
A Perennial wall rocket with similar properties to Diplotaxis muralis mentioned above but it has the advantage of growing in semi-shaded conditions. Like Diplotaxis muralis the leaves are eaten raw and used in salads, they are very strongly flavoured of cress. The leaves have a hot flavour, very similar to rocket (Eruca sativa) but more strongly flavoured – they make an excellent addition to a mixed salad but are too strong to be used in quantity on their own. The plant is very productive, producing leaves from early spring until the autumn. Size: growing to 0.6m (2ft). Growth is fast and it has an edibility rating of 4.
Database entry http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Diplotaxis+tenuifolia
