Turkish Rocket, Turkish wartycabbage
Bunias orientalis
Family: Brassicaceae or Cruciferae
What it is like
Bunias orientalis is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.9 m (3ft) by 0.5 m (1ft 8in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 7 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, flies. 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 cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 0.9
Where it is found
A weed of cultivated and waste ground.
N. America. Europe - Caucasus, S. Russia. Naturalized in Britain.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Leaves and young stems - raw or cooked. The young leaves have a mild cabbage flavour that goes very well in a mixed salad, though some people find them indigestible. The leaves are a bit hairy so we find them less than wonderful when eaten raw on their own. The cooked leaves make an excellent vegetable. The leaves are available early in the year, usually towards the end of winter, and the plant will continue to produce leaves until late autumn, with a bit of a gap when the plant is in flower. Flower buds and flowering stems - raw or cooked. A pleasant mild flavour with a delicate sweetness and cabbage-like flavour, they make an excellent broccoli substitute though they are rather smaller.
Stem: this often intergrades into leaves.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating:
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
A very easily grown plant, it succeeds in any soil in a sunny position. Plants have also been seen growing exceedingly well in the dappled shade of a woodland garden. Plants are quite tolerant of neglect, growing well amongst long grass on our Cornish trial ground. The young spring growth can be quite badly damaged by slugs, though more mature plants grow away so quickly that this does not seem to be a problem. 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.
Propagating it: Seed - sow April in a cold frame. Germination is usually very quick and good. Prick out the seedlings into pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant them out in early summer. The seed can also be sown in situ in the spring, though the seedlings are rather prone to slug damage. Division in spring. Quick and easy. Root cuttings 2 - 5cm in length succeed at any time during the growing season, though early spring as the plant comes into growth is best. If the top 7 - 10cm of the plant is removed to supply root cuttings and divisions, the roots remaining in the soil usually regrow very quickly.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 6-9
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist