Cakile maritima
Scop.
Brassicaceae
Brassica ovalis (Viv.) B.D.Jacks.
Bunias americana Raf.
Bunias cakile L.
Bunias littoralis Salisb.
Bunias ovalis Viv.
Cakile aegyptica (L.) Maire & Weiller
Cakile aegyptica Pignatti
Cakile baltica Jord. ex Pobed.
Cakile bauhinii Jord.
Cakile cakile (L.) H.Karst.
Cakile crenata Jord.
Cakile cyrenaica Spreng.
Cakile edentula Jord.
Cakile euxina Pobed.
Cakile hispanica Jord.
Cakile latifolia (Desf.) Poir.
Cakile littoralis Jord.
Cakile monosperma Lange
Cakile pinnatifida Stokes
Cakile serapionis Gaertn.
Cakile sinuatifolia Stokes
Crucifera cakile E.H.L.Krause
Isatis aegyptica L.
Isatis pinnata Forssk.
Rapistrum cakile (L.) Bergeret
Rapistrum cakile (L.) Crantz
Rapistrum maritimum (Scop.) Bergeret ex DC.
Common Name: Sea Rocket
General Information
Cakile maritima is an annual plant with a prostrate or ascending, branched stem growing from a very long, slender taproot; it can grow 15 - 45cm tall[
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as food.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Range
Eurasia - mainly in coastal areas - Norway, south to Spain and east to the Caucasus, Iran. Israel, Syria; N. Africa - Macaronesia, Morocco to Egypt
Habitat
Sandy and shingly places all around the coast[
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Annual |
| Height | 0.30 m |
| Pollinators | Bees, Flies, Beetles, Lepidoptera |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
Prefers a light well-drained soil and a sunny position[
1- Title
- RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
- Publication
-
- Author
- F. Chittendon.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1951
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Plants are easily grown in a garden situation and can self-sow if the ground is disturbed by hoeing etc[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
This species is closely related to Cakile edentula, which is native to N. America[
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
].
The seed is often dispersed by floating in sea water[
17- Title
- Flora of the British Isles.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Clapham, Tutin and Warburg.
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Year
- 1962
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
].
Edible Uses
Leaves, stems, flower buds and immature seedpods - raw or cooked. They are rich in vitamin C but have a very bitter taste[
4- Title
- A Modern Herbal.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Grieve.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-440-9
- Description
- Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
,
66- Title
- From Agar to Zenery.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Freethy. R.
- Publisher
- The Crowood Press
- Year
- 1985
- ISBN
- 0-946284-51-2
- Description
- Very readable, giving details on plant uses based on the authors own experiences.
]. Used mainly as a flavouring[
132- Title
- Fruits of the Earth.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bianchini. F., Corbetta. F. and Pistoia. M.
- Publisher
-
- Year
-
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Lovely pictures, a very readable book.
]. Very young leaves can be added to salads whilst older leaves can be mixed with milder tasting leaves and used as a potherb[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
,
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Root - dried and ground into a powder, then mixed with cereal flours and used to make bread[
2- Title
- Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hedrick. U. P.
- Publisher
- Dover Publications
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- 0-486-20459-6
- Description
- Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
]. A famine food, it is only used in times of scarcity[
183- Title
- Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Facciola. S.
- Publisher
- Kampong Publications
- Year
- 1990
- ISBN
- 0-9628087-0-9
- Description
- Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
].
The seed contains a fatty oil[
74- Title
- Flora of the USSR.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Komarov. V. L.
- Website
- http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
- Publisher
- Israel Program for Scientific Translation
- Year
- 1968
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]. No more details are given.
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - sow late spring or early autumn in situ. Germination is usually rapid.
If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.
Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
