Dittander, Perennial peppercress
Lepidium latifolium

Family: Brassicaceae

What it is like

A cabbage family herb. It is a perennial plant about 1 m high. It can spread 1m per year by an invasive root system. The leaves near the base have long leaf stalks. The leaves on the stems do not have stalks. They are also long. They are 1-9 cm long by 0.3-4.5 cm wide. The flowers are white. There is no notch at the tip of the fruit. There are some named cultivated varieties.

There are about 150 Lepidium species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in salt marshes and wet places. It can grow in sun or light shade. In the Indian Himalayas it grows between 3,000-3,600 m above sea level. Tasmania Herbarium.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Asia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Balkans, Belarus, Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Cyprus, Czech, Denmark, Egypt, Europe, France, Germany, Greece, Himalayas, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lebanon, Libya, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, Middle East, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, Netherlands, North Africa, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scandinavia, Siberia, Sicily, Slovenia, South America, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Tibet, Turkey, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Uzbekistan, Yugoslavia

How it is used for food

The young leaves are eaten raw or cooked. They have a peppery taste and are added to salads. Sometimes they are boiled twice with changes of water to remove the bitterness. They are fried with eggs. The root can be grated and used as a horseradish substitute. The seed is used as a flavouring.

It is sold in local markets

Edible parts

Leaves, roots, seeds

How it is grown

It is grown from seed and this can be planted in a nursery then transplanted. Plants can be grown by dividing the plant.

Its other names

Local names

Broadleaf peppergrass, Draguša, Erva mustarda, Ghji, Gonyuch, Goruha, Hoary cardaria, Kharfak, Kuan ye du xing cai, Pepperwort, Poor man's pepper, Scvamarita, Shangsho, Shangshu

Synonyms

Cardaria latifolia (L.) Spach; Crucifera latifolia (L.) E. H. L. Krause; Lepidium affine Ledebour; Lepidium dioscorides Bubani; Lepidium latifolium subsp. affine (Ledebour) Kitagawa; Lepidium latifolium var. affine (Ledebour) C. A. Meyer; Lepidium latifolium subsp. sibiricum Thellung; Lepidium sibiricum Schweigger (1812), not Pallas (1776); Nasturtium latifolium (L.) Crantz;