Cut-Leaved Toothwort
Dentaria laciniata

Family: Brassicaceae or Cruciferae

What it is like

Dentaria laciniata is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in April, and the seeds ripen in June. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 0.3

Where it is found

Rich damp woods and on calcareous rocky banks.

Eastern N. America - Quebec to Florida and west to Minnesota and Kansas.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Root - raw or cooked. A pleasant pungent peppery taste, somewhat like watercress. Added to salads or used as a relish. Leaves - raw or cooked. A peppery flavour.

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

Medicine

Rating: 0

Other

Rating:

How it is grown

An easily grown plant, preferring a rich light moist soil and the shade of deciduous trees. A very cold-hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to at least -20°c.

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: 5-9

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium

Shade: Semi-shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Cardamine laciniata.