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Common Name: Coral Root

General Information

Cardamine bulbifera is a perennial plant that can grow up to 0.45 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Central Europe from Britain and France to Sweden, east to the Balkans, W. Asia and the Caucasus.

Habitat

Very local in woods, usually on calcareous soils, in Devon, S.E. England, the Chilterns and Ayr[]. A characteristic species of base-rich beech woodlands[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.45 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a moist humus rich soil in shade or semi-shade[].
The flowers are rarely visited by pollinating insects and seed is rarely set, propagation is carried out by means of bulbils formed on the axils of the upper leaf stems[, ].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[]. A hot cress-like flavour.
Bulbils - raw or cooked. They are rather small, about the size ofa lentil, but have a pleasant mild cress-like flavour[].
Root - raw or cooked[]. A hot flavour, it is pleasant but rather small[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - best sown when ripe, otherwise sow it in the spring. If you have sufficient seed it can be sown in situ, otherwise it is best to sow it in pots in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and pant out in the summer.
The bulbils can be collected in early summer and potted up. Keep them in a cold frame over the winter and plant out when in active growth in the spring.