Common Name: Gold Of Pleasure

General Information

Camelina sativa is an erect annual plant that usually grows 30 - 80cm tall, though it can reach 100cm. In situations of open growth the plant often develops a wide-branching growth habit - however, when it is found as a weed with flax, the plant takes on a taller less branched form which resembles a flax plant[, ].
Camelina sativa has a very long history of cultivation for its oil in Europe - it was an important agricultural crop as far back as the Iron and Bronze ages []. From the time of the Roman empire to the discovery of gas and electricity, the oil obtained from its seed was the favourite one used in oil lamps and was also a common edible product[]. It is still occasionally cultivated for the oil in its seed[, ], and interest in the plant as a commercial crop has increased in the 21st century with the desire for alternative crops and especially novel oil crops. The plant is also a source of fibre and is used for making brushes.
The plant has become a noxious weed of cultivated fields in some of the areas into which it has been introduced[]. However, it is primarily a minor weed in flax crops (Linum usitatissimum) and not often a problem in other crops

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Eurasia - the wild range is somewhat obscure due to the long history of cultivation but extends from western Europe to Mongolia and central Asia

Habitat

A weed of corn and flax fields in Britain[]. Found in a wide variety of habitats including prairies, fields (grain, flax, alfalfa), open woods, lakeshore, dry sandy soils, roadsides, railways and waste places or weedy places[]

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Insects, Self
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Camelina sativa is a very adaptable plant that can prosper in many different climates and soils[].
An easily grown plant, succeeding in most well-drained soils and preferring a sunny position[]. It does well on poor land[]. Plants can self-sow when well-sited[]. Established plants are relatively drought-tolerant[].
A very variable species, it has often been split into a number of infra specific taxa by botanists[].
The plant has been shown to be allelopathic, it releases substances that inhibit the growth of nearby plants[].

Edible Uses

An edible oil is obtained from the seed[, , , , ]. The oil has an almond-like tasty aroma[]. The seed contains up to 37% oil[]. Recent studies have shown that the natural oil produced by the seeds contains an excellent balance of useful fatty acids, including some rarely found in other oil crops (e.g. omega 3 and other essential fatty acids)[]. The oil from gold of pleasure also contains a high content of tocopherols with a unique oxidative stability[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant has the potential to be a low-cost crop for green manuring[].
This species is a bad companion plant, depressing the growth of nearby plants[].

Other Uses

An oil from the seed is used as a luminant and as an emollient for softening the skin[]. The oil has a number of actual and potential uses, including as an ingredient in skin care products such as body lotions, bath foams and creams; in the production of soaps and soft detergents; in the production of interesting lipopeptides and lipoaminoacids; as a replacement for marine oils due to its similar fatty acids, as a source of natural anti oxidants[]. Trials have been undertaken in Austria to test the effectiveness of the oil as a raw material for liquid biofuel[].

A fibre is obtained from the stems[, ]. The stems contain a considerable proportion of fibre, and are commonly used for making brooms in many parts of Europe[].

The stems are used for making brooms[].

Propagation

Seed - sow mid spring in situ. Do not sow the seed more than 25mm deep[]. The seed can also be autumn sown and it has been shown that oil yields can be increased by up to 40% from such sowings[].