London Rocket
Sisymbrium irio

Family: Brassicaceae or Cruciferae

What it is like

Sisymbrium irio is a ANNUAL growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in). It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. 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 dry or moist soil.

Height (m): 0.5

Where it is found

Roadsides, walls and waste places.

Mediterranean. Long naturalized or possibly native in Britain.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 1

Immature leaves - raw or cooked. Used as greens. A famine food, it is only eaten when better foods are in short supply. Seed - raw or cooked. The seed can be eaten as piñole. It can also be dried, ground into a powder then mixed with water and used as a gruel. The seed can be mixed with water to make a drink. Flowers - raw.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The seeds are expectorant, restorative and stimulant. They are used in the treatment of asthma. Externally, they are used as a stimulating poultice. The seeds have been placed under the lids of sore eyes in order to cause weeping and thereby wash foreign matter out of the eye. An infusion of the leaves is used in treating affections of the throat and chest.

Expectorant: Clears phlegm from the chest by inducing coughing.

Ophthalmic: Treats eye complaints.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Restorative: Restores consciousness or normal physiological activity.

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.

Other

Rating: 0

How it is grown

Succeeds in most soils.

Propagating it: Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds; East Wall. In. South Wall. In. West Wall. In.

Habit: Annual

Hardiness: 0-0

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Dry, moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Norta irio (L.) Britton