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Common Name: Lundy Cabbage

General Information

Rhynchosinapis wrightii is a Evergreen Perennial up to 1.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Britain.

Habitat

Endemic to the cliffs and slopes on the eastern side of Lundy Island[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Perennial
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	Yes
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A very rare plant, it is only found growing wild on Lundy Island in the Bristol channel[]. It requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil[].
The plant is fairly hardy and should succeed outdoors in most parts of the country, though it tends to droop somewhat in very cold weather. It can provide edible leaves all year round, though there are scant pickings as the plant comes into flower and for a month or so afterwards[].
Plants are generally quite short-lived perennials, though they usually self-sow freely when well-sited[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[]. A flavour somewhere between a cabbage and a radish[]. At its best for harvesting in the winter months, when it makes an acceptable addition to the salad bowl[]. It is also a reasonable cabbage substitute when cooked[].
Flowers and young flowering stems- raw or cooked[]. The flowers make a decorative addition to the salad bowl, whilst the young flowering stems can be used like broccoli. A cabbage-like flavour but with a distinct bitterness[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a cold frame or outdoor seedbed. The seed usually germinates within a week. Prick out the pot-sown seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out in the summer. Those in the outdoor seedbed can be thinned as required (the thinnings can be transplanted or eaten) and be moved to their permanent positions when they are 15 - 25cm tall.