Cuckoo Flower
Cardamine pratensis
Family: Brassicaceae or Cruciferae
What it is like
Cardamine pratensis is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in) by 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 April to June, and the seeds ripen from May to July. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies, Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). The plant is self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.
Height (m): 0.5
Where it is found
Moist, slightly shady places in meadows and by streams, usually in acid soils.
Most of Europe, including Britain, N. Asia and N. America.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Leaves and young shoots - raw or cooked. Rich in vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin C, but with a bitter and pungent flavour. The leaves and young shoots are harvested in the spring and taste rather like water cress. The leaves can be available early in the year and when used in small quantities make a very acceptable addition to salads. Flowers and flower buds - raw. A pungent cress-like flavour. The white flowers are very attractive, they make a pleasant nibble and also add a delicious flavour to salads.
Medicine
Rating: 2
Cuckoo flower is seldom used in herbalism, though an infusion of the leaves has been used to treat indigestion and promote appetite. The leaves and the flowering plant are antirheumatic, antiscorbutic, antispasmodic, carminative, digestive, diuretic, stimulant. They are used internally in the treatment of chronic skin complaints, asthma and hysteria. The plant is harvested in spring and early summer and is best used when fresh.
Antirheumatic: Treats rheumatism.
Antiscorbutic: A plant rich in vitamin C that is used to counteract scurvy.
Antispasmodic: Relaxes muscular spasms and cramps, calming nervous irritation.
Carminative: Reduces flatulence and expels gas from the intestines.
Digestive: Aids digestion.
Diuretic: Acts on the kidneys, promoting the flow of urine.
Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.
Vitamin C: Plants good for their vitamin C content
Other
Rating: 2
Attracts wildlife.
Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
Succeeds in most soils so long as they are moist or wet. Prefers a cool damp soil. Succeeds in full sun or partial shade. Cuckoo flower was at one time much used as a spring salad plant and was often sold in local markets. It has, however, fallen out of favour and is scarcely used at present. A polymorphic species. A very ornamental plant, non-invasive and well suited to the wild garden though it may require protection from wood pigeons who eat out the young buds in spring. It grows well in the spring meadow. A food plant for the orange tip butterfly. There is at least one named variety, selected for its ornamental value. 'Flore Pleno' is a double flowered form. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 8 through 5. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) 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. The plant growth habit is a clumper with limited spread. The root pattern is rhizomatous with underground stems sending roots and shoots along their length.
Propagating it: Seed - sow outdoors in a seedbed in a shady position in April. Plant out in autumn or spring. Division in spring or autumn. The plant produces young plants at the base of its leaflets. When large enough, these can be easily separated from the main plant and grown on as individual plants.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Shady Edge; Meadow; Bog Garden;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 4-8
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade, no shade
Moisture: Moist, wet