Perfoliate pepperwort
Lepidium perfoliatum

Family: Brassicaceae

What it is like

A cabbage family herb. It is a short annual plant. It grows 20-40 cm high. It has a single stem. The leaves are of two kinds. The lower leaves have lobes while the upper leaves are simple. They clasp the stem. The flowers are small and yellow.

There are about 150 Lepidium species.

Where it is found

It is a temperate plant. It grows in waste places, dry sandy slopes; near sea level to 1000 m altitude in China. In Argentina it grows below 500 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Albania, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Balkans, Britain, Bulgaria, Central Asia, China, Europe, France, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mediterranean, North Africa, Pakistan, Russia, South America, Spain, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, SW Asia, introduced elsewhere

How it is used for food

Eaten as a vegetable. The young leaves are used in salads.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable, spice, seeds

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Borsika, Ciganypaprika, Goruha

Synonyms

Alyssum heterophyllum Ruiz & Pav. ex DC.; Crucifera diversifolia E. H. L. Krause; Nasturtium perfoliatum (L.) Besser;