Crinkleroot
Dentaria diphylla

Family: Brassicaceae or Cruciferae

What it is like

Dentaria diphylla Michx. is a synonym of Cardamine diphylla (Michx.) Alph.Wood

Dentaria diphylla is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to June. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) or semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 0.3

Where it is found

Rich damp woods and meadows.

Eastern N. America - Ontario to S. Carolina, Kentucky and Minnesota.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Root - raw or cooked. It has a crisp texture and a pleasant pungent taste, rather like water cress or horseradish. It can be added to salads or used as a relish. The root has a pungent acrid taste when first harvested, the Indians cleaned the roots, heaped them on a blanket, covered them to exclude air and then left them to ferment for 4 - 5 days. After this the roots developed a sweet taste. Leaves - raw or cooked. The cooking water was changed once in order to remove the bitterness.

Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The peppery root is used as a folk remedy in the treatment of toothache. It has also been chewed in the treatment of colds, an infusion drunk to treat gas and other stomach problems, and it has been made into a poultice for headaches. A tea made from the root is gargled in the treatment of sore throat, hoarseness etc. An infusion of the plant has been used to treat fevers in children. Combined with Acorus calamus root, it has been used in the treatment of heart diseases.

Cardiac: Used in the treatment of heart problems.

Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.

Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.

Miscellany: Various medicinal actions that need more clarification.

Odontalgic: Treats toothache (temporary measure only) and other problems of the teeth and gums.

Stomachic: Aids and improves the action of the stomach.

Other

Rating: 0

Miscellany: A rag-bag of items that are difficult to categorise.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

An easily grown plant, preferring a rich light moist soil and a shady position. This species is hardy to about -20°c. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. An evergreen. The plant growth habit is a runner spreading indefinitely by rhizomes or stolons. Ephemeral emerging in spring and dying back by summer every year . The root pattern is rhizomatous with underground stems sending roots and shoots along their length.

Propagating it: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 weeks at 15°c. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame for the first two years, planting them out when dormant in late summer. Division in early spring or after the plant dies down in the summer. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; not Deep Shade;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 3-8

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: Full shade, semi-shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Cardamine diphylla. (Michx.)Wood.