Lapsana communis
L.
Asteraceae
Hieracium lampsana E.H.L.Krause
Hieracium lampsanoides DC.
Lalda communis (L.) Bubani
Lapsana adenophora Boiss.
Lapsana aipetriensis Vassilcz.
Lapsana alpina Boiss. & Balansa
Lapsana cancellata Borbás
Lapsana cappadocica Bornm.
Lapsana cassia Boiss.
Lapsana crispa Willd.
Lapsana freynii Borbás
Lapsana glandulifera Cass.
Lapsana glandulosa Freyn & Sint.
Lapsana grandiflora M.Bieb.
Lapsana intermedia M.Bieb.
Lapsana lyrata Willd.
Lapsana macrocarpa Coss.
Lapsana olympica P.Candargy
Lapsana peduncularis Boiss.
Lapsana pinnatisecta (Sommier & Levier) Ter-Chatsch.
Lapsana pisidica Boiss. & Heldr.
Lapsana pubescens Hornem.
Lapsana ramosissima Boiss. & Heldr.
Lapsana silvatica Nyman
Lapsana sonchifolia Gilib.
Lapsana sylvatica Wallr.
Lapsana vulgaris Gromov ex Trautv.
Common Name: Nipplewort
General Information
Lapsana communis is an annual plant with a single, erect stem; it can grow around 20 - 100cm tall
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a 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.
Range
Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa, western and central Asia.
Habitat
Waste ground, roadsides and walls, avoiding acid soils, in full sun or semi-shade[
5- Title
- Food for Free.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Mabey. R.
- Publisher
- Collins
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
- 0-00-219060-5
- Description
- Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
,
9- Title
- Edible and Medicinal Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Launert. E.
- Publisher
- Hamlyn
- Year
- 1981
- ISBN
- 0-600-37216-2
- Description
- Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
].
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Medicinal Rating |  |
| Habit | Annual |
| Height | 0.90 m |
| Pollinators | Bees, Flies, Lepidoptera, Self |
| Self-fertile | Yes |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
A fairly common garden weed, nipplewort will maintain itself in the garden so long as it is given some disturbed soil in which to self-sow. It is a fairly tolerant plant that succeeds in most soils, so long as they are not too acid, and dislikes heavy shade.
It was at one time cultivated as a vegetable[
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
Young leaves and shoots - raw or cooked[
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.
,
5- Title
- Food for Free.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Mabey. R.
- Publisher
- Collins
- Year
- 1974
- ISBN
- 0-00-219060-5
- Description
- Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.
,
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.
,
100- Title
- Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Polunin. O.
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Year
- 1969
- ISBN
- 0192176218
- Description
- An excellent and well illustrated pocket guide for those with very large pockets. Also gives some details on plant uses.
,
1187- Title
- Mediterranean Wild Edible Plants - Ethnobotany and Food Composition Tables
- Publication
-
- Author
- María de Cortes Sánchez-Mata; Javier Tardío (Editors)
- Publisher
- Springer; New York
- Year
- 2016
- ISBN
- 978-1-4939-3327-3
- Description
-
]. They are best harvested before the plant comes into flower[
9- Title
- Edible and Medicinal Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Launert. E.
- Publisher
- Hamlyn
- Year
- 1981
- ISBN
- 0-600-37216-2
- Description
- Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
]. The leaves can be added to salads, cooked like spinach or added to soups and casseroles[
9- Title
- Edible and Medicinal Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Launert. E.
- Publisher
- Hamlyn
- Year
- 1981
- ISBN
- 0-600-37216-2
- Description
- Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
,
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.
]. They have a bitter or radish-like taste[
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.
].
Medicinal
A leaf infusion is used as purgative[
2145- Title
- Ethnobotany of the Mountain Regions of Far Eastern Europe: Ural, Northern Caucasus, Turkey, and Iran
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bussmann R.W. et al
- Website
- https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28940-9
- Publisher
- Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
- Year
- 2020
- ISBN
- 978-3-030-28939-3
- Description
-
].
The plant is used as a poultice to treat tumours, for wound healing, and to heal nipple cracks in nursing mothers[
2145- Title
- Ethnobotany of the Mountain Regions of Far Eastern Europe: Ural, Northern Caucasus, Turkey, and Iran
- Publication
-
- Author
- Bussmann R.W. et al
- Website
- https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28940-9
- Publisher
- Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
- Year
- 2020
- ISBN
- 978-3-030-28939-3
- Description
-
]
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - sow in situ during the spring or as soon as it is ripe and only just cover the seed. Plants usually self sow when they are well-sited.
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.
