If you would like to support this site, please consider Donating.
Useful Temperate Plants

Lepidium didymum

L.

Brassicaceae

+ Synonyms

Biscutella apetala Walter

Carara didyma (L.) Britton

Cochlearia humifusa Michx.

Coronopus didymus (L.) Sm.

Coronopus incisus (Willd.) Hornem.

Coronopus leptocarpus Boelcke

Coronopus pectinatus (DC.) Kuntze

Coronopus pinnatifidus Dulac

Coronopus pinnatifidus F.Meigen

Coronopus pinnatus Hornem.

Crucifera senebiera E.H.L.Krause

Eudistemon humifusum Raf.

Lepidium americanum Vell.

Lepidium anglicum Huds.

Lepidium bonariense Mill.

Lepidium prostratum Savi

Nasturtiolum castratum Medik.

Nasturtiolum pinnatum Moench

Nasturtium americanum (Vell.) Kuntze

Senebiera didyma (L.) Pers.

Senebiera heleniana DC.

Senebiera incisa Willd.

Senebiera pectinata DC.

Senebiera pinnatifida DC.

Senebiera supina Thore

Common Name: Swine Wartcress

Lepidium didymum
A small group of young plants
Photograph by: Forest and Kim Starr
Creative Commons License
Lepidium didymum Lepidium didymum Lepidium didymum Lepidium didymum Lepidium didymum

General Information

Lepidium didymum is an annual to biennial plant producing a short-lived basal rosette of leaves and a few to several usually strongly branched stems can be creeping or ascending and are up to 40cm long. All parts of the plant have an offensive smell[
270
Title
Flora of N. America
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
,
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. The dried plant material is sold for medicinal purposes in S. America[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. The plant also has potential for use in soil remediation projects.
Lepidium didymum is a cosmopolitan weed[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. It has spread from its native range in S. America to much of Europe, N. America and parts of Africa and Asia partly by its seeds being carried by birds and mammals and also by various human activities[
305
Title
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
]. In some regions it is considered a serious weed of cultivated land, for example. in wheat, potato, pea, carrot and onion crops in India and in onion crops in Brazil[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Known Hazards

Cows may produce off-flavoured milk when they have been fed with grass mixed with Lepidium didymum. It has been suggested that this is caused by the inhibitory actions of benzyl isothiocyanate present in the plant on microbial and/or enzymatic activities inthe rumen of the cows[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Botanical References

270
Title
Flora of N. America
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.

Range

S. America - Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, southern and eastern Brazil, Bolivia, Peru

Habitat

Waste places, roadsides, cultivated fields, frequently mown lawns etc[
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.
,
43
Title
Gray's Manual of Botany.Eighth Edition
Publication
 
Author
Fernald. M. L.
Publisher
American Book Co.; New York
Year
1950
ISBN
0442222505
Description
A bit dated but a good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
,
305
Title
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
]. Roadsides, waste areas, lawns, pastures, fields, gardens, disturbed areas; at elevations up to 1,000 metres[
270
Title
Flora of N. America
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
]. Found chiefly in sandy soils in Texas[
274
Title
Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas
Publication
 
Author
Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J
Website
http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm
Publisher
Botanical Research Institute, Texas.
Year
1999
ISBN
1-889878-01-4
Description
An excellent flora, which is also available on-line.
].

Properties

Weed PotentialYes
Edibility Rating *  *
Medicinal Rating *  *  *
HabitAnnual/Biennial
Height0.30 m
PollinatorsSelf
Self-fertileYes
Cultivation StatusWild

Cultivation Details



After germination, Lepidium didymum plants develop rapidly. They often complete their life cycle within a few months[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
The whole plant has a foetid smell[
305
Title
Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked and eaten as a vegetable[
105
Title
Tanaka's Cyclopedia of Edible Plants of the World.
Publication
 
Author
Tanaka. T. & Nakao S.
Publisher
Keigaku Publishing; Tokyo
Year
1976
ISBN
-
Description
The most comprehensive list of edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.
,
177
Title
Plants for Human Consumption.
Publication
 
Author
Kunkel. G.
Publisher
Koeltz Scientific Books
Year
1984
ISBN
3874292169
Description
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
,
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. A strong hot cress-like flavour[
144
Title
Wild Food in Australia.
Publication
 
Author
Cribb. A. B. and J. W.
Publisher
Fontana
Year
1976
ISBN
0-00-634436-4
Description
A very good pocket guide.
,
K
Title
Plants for a Future
Author
Ken Fern
Description
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].

Medicinal

The plant (part not specified) is credited with antiscorbutic, digestive, expectorant, febrifuge, stimulant and tonic properties[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
]. The plant is valued in traditional medicine as a treatment for cancer, gangrene, haemorrhoids, allergies and wounds[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

A decoction of the whole plant is drunk to treat headache and fevers[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

A leaf poultice is applied externally to treat headache[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Phytochemical screening of the plant showed the presence of flavonoids, saponins and tannins. The bioactive flavonoid chrysoeriol has been isolated. These compounds have free radical-scavenging and antioxidant properties[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
The sterol beta-sitosterol has been isolated from the petroleum ether extract; it has hypocholesterolaemic activity[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
The seeds contain erucic acid and glucosinolate[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].
Tests in India have shown wound-healing, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antipyretic, hypoglycaemic and hepatoprotective activities of the plant[
299
Title
Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.prota.org
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is often found as a weed of disturbed soil. It has been found to tolerate high levels of lead in the soil and to accumulate the metal in its leaves and roots, though mainly in the roots. The plant has excellent potential for mitigating lead from polluted soils and is a promising candidate for use in soil remediation projects

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ.
Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2024-03-28. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Lepidium+didymum>

Add a Comment:

If you have any useful information about this plant, please leave a comment. Comments have to be approved before they are shown here.