Common Name: Dwarf Nasturtium

General Information

Tropaeolum minus is an annual to short-lived perennial plant growing around 30cm tall.
The plant provides edible flowers, leaves and seeds, has insect repellent properties and various medicinal applications. It is sometimes cultivated as an ornament, though it has been largely superseded in the garden by Tropaeolum majus and hybrids between the two species[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

S. America - Peru, Ecuador

Habitat

Moist places at higher elevations[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Tropaeolum minus is a plant of higher elevations in the seasonally dry tropics. It is frost-tender, but can be cultivated as a spring-sown annual in the temperate zone.
Prefers a rich light well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade[]. More and lusher leaves are produced when the plant is growing in a rich soil, though less flowers are produced[]. When grown in a soil of low fertility the leaves are smaller and less lush, though more flowers are produced[, ] The plant will also succeed in very poor soils[]. Dislikes drought[].
There are some named varieties[].
Slugs and snails love eating this plant, so it can be grown to attract them away from other plants[].The caterpillars of the cabbage white butterfly can be a nuisance and often cause considerable damage to the leaves[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw[, , ]. A hot watercress flavour[]. The leaves are very nice in small quantities on their own or as a flavouring in mixed salads, they are available from early summer until the first frosts of the autumn[].

Flowers - raw[, , , ]. A very ornamental and tasty addition to the salad bowl, the flowers have a hot watercress flavour[]. The flowers contain about 130mg vitamin C per 100g[].

Young seed pods - raw[, , ]. These are even hotter than the flowers or leaves[]. The seed pods can also be harvested whilst immature and pickled for use as a caper substitute[].

Seed - raw or cooked. Very hot[]. The mature seed can be ground into a powder and used as a pepper substitute[].

Medicinal

The whole plant is antibiotic, antiseptic, aperient, diuretic and expectorant[, ]. It is useful in breaking up congestion in the respiratory passages and chest during colds[]. The juice or tea can be used as an external or internal antiseptic[]. The plant has antibiotic properties towards aerobic spore forming bacteria[], it is also said to have a beneficial effect on the blood by promoting the formation of blood cells[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The growing plant attracts aphids away from other plants. Research indicates that aphids flying over plants with orange or yellow flowers do not stop, nor do they prey on plants growing next to or above the flowers[].
Grows well with radishes, cabbages and fruit trees, improving their growth and flavour[, ]. A good companion for many plants, keeping many harmful insects at bay and also improving the growth and flavour of neighbouring crops[]. Aphids on nasturtiums indicate a lime deficiency in the soil[].

Other Uses

An insecticide can be made from an infusion of leaves and soap flakes[].

Propagation

Seed - sow mid spring in situ. The seed usually germinates within 2 weeks. Seed can also be sown in early spring in pots in a greenhouse and planted out in late spring or early summer.