Our new book Edible Shrubs is now available.

Edible Shrubs provides detailed information, attractively presented, on over 70 shrub species. They have been selected to provide a mix of different plant sizes and growing conditions. Most provide delicious and nutritious fruit, but many also have edible leaves, seeds, flowers, stems or roots, or they yield edible or useful oil.

Read More

Edible Shrubs Book
Follow Us:

 

Thlaspi arvense - L.

Common Name Pennycress, Field pennycress
Family Brassicaceae or Cruciferae
USDA hardiness 5-9
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Waste places and a weed of cultivated ground where it can be a serious pest[1, 13, 17].
Range Europe, including Britain, from Norway south and east to N. Africa, W. Asia, Siberia and Japan.
Edibility Rating    (2 of 5)
Other Uses    (0 of 5)
Weed Potential Yes
Medicinal Rating    (2 of 5)
Care
Fully Hardy Moist Soil Full sun
Thlaspi arvense Pennycress, Field pennycress


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thlaspi_arvense_penning%C3%B6rt.jpg
Thlaspi arvense Pennycress, Field pennycress
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Fornax

 

Translate this page:

You can translate the content of this page by selecting a language in the select box.

Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Thlaspi arvense is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft).
It is hardy to zone (UK) 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to July, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies. The plant is self-fertile.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Synonyms

Habitats

 Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves;  Oil;  Seed.
Edible Uses: Condiment;  Oil.

Young leaves - raw or cooked[2, 5, 52, 62, 185]. They should always be harvested before the plant comes into flower or they will be very bitter[9]. Even the young leaves have a somewhat bitter flavour and aroma, and are not to everyone's taste[9, 85]. They can be added in small quantities to salads and other foods[9, 183]. They can also be cooked in soups or used as a potherb, they taste somewhat like mustard but with a hint of onion[183]. For a leaf, it is very rich in protein[218]. The seed is ground into a powder and used as a mustard substitute[105, 183]. The seed can be sprouted and added to salads[183].

Composition
Figures in grams (g) or miligrams (mg) per 100g of food.
Leaves (Dry weight)
  • 0 Calories per 100g
  • Water : 0%
  • Protein: 54.2g; Fat: 0g; Carbohydrate: 33.1g; Fibre: 0g; Ash: 0g;
  • Minerals - Calcium: 0mg; Phosphorus: 0mg; Iron: 0mg; Magnesium: 0mg; Sodium: 0mg; Potassium: 0mg; Zinc: 0mg;
  • Vitamins - A: 0mg; Thiamine (B1): 0mg; Riboflavin (B2): 0mg; Niacin: 0mg; B6: 0mg; C: 1900mg;
  • Reference: [ 218]
  • Notes:

Medicinal Uses



Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antibacterial;  Antidote;  Antiinflammatory;  Antirheumatic;  Blood tonic;  Diaphoretic;  Diuretic;  Expectorant;  
Febrifuge;  Hepatic;  Ophthalmic;  Tonic.

Antirheumatic, diuretic[46, 61]. The seed is a tonic[218]. Both the seed and the young shoots are said to be good for the eyes[218]. The seeds are used in Tibetan medicine and are considered to have an acrid taste and a cooling potency[241]. They are anti-inflammatory and febrifuge, being used in the treatment of pus in the lungs, renal inflammation, appendicitis, seminal and vaginal discharges[241]. The entire plant is antidote, anti-inflammatory, blood tonic, depurative, diaphoretic, expectorant, febrifuge and hepatic[176, 218]. It is used in the treatment of carbuncles, acute appendicitis, intestinal abscess, post-partum pain, dysmenorrhoea and endometriosis[176]. Use with caution since large doses can cause a decrease in white blood cells, nausea and dizziness[176]. The plant has a broad antibacterial activity[218], effective against the growth of Staphylococci and streptococci[176].

Other Uses

Oil.

The seed contains 20 - 30% of a semi-drying oil, it is used for lighting[74].

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils. Dislikes shade.

image

The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees, and Woodland Gardening. Our new book to be released soon is Edible Shrubs.

Shop Now

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ in March or April.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Found In

Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants

 

Print Friendly and PDF

Expert comment

Author

L.

Botanical References

17200

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

   Jul 27 2010 12:00AM

It is very useful plant in the kitchen. Seeds are used in some Europe Countries(Lithuania)as spice to replace garlic for autentic recipies such as "skilandis". I have to admit, it is deticious.

QR Code

What's this?

This is a QR code (short for Quick Response) which gives fast-track access to our website pages. QR Codes are barcodes that can be read by mobile phone (smartphone) cameras. This QR Code is unique to this page. All plant pages have their own unique code. For more information about QR Codes click here.

1. Copy and print the QR code to a plant label, poster, book, website, magazines, newspaper etc and even t-shirts.

2. Smartphone users scan the QR Code which automatically takes them to the webpage the QR Code came from.

3. Smartphone users quickly have information on a plant directly for the pfaf.org website on their phone.

Add a comment

If you have important information about this plant that may help other users please add a comment or link below. Only comments or links that are felt to be directly relevant to a plant will be included. If you think a comment/link or information contained on this page is inaccurate or misleading we would welcome your feedback at admin@pfaf.org. If you have questions about a plant please use the Forum on this website as we do not have the resources to answer questions ourselves.

* Please note: the comments by website users are not necessarily those held by PFAF and may give misleading or inaccurate information.

To leave a comment please Register or login here All comments need to be approved so will not appear immediately.

Subject : Thlaspi arvense  
All the information contained in these pages is Copyright (C) Plants For A Future, 1996-2012.
Plants For A Future is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Charity No. 1057719, Company No. 3204567,
Web Design & Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. Some information cannot be used for commercial reasons or be modified (but some can). Please view the copyright link for more information.