Barbarea vulgaris

Barbarea vulgaris, also called wintercress (usual common name), or alternatively winter rocket, rocketcress, yellow rocketcress, yellow rocket, wound rocket, herb barbara, creases, or creasy greens, is a biennial herb of the genus Barbarea, belonging to the family Brassicaceae.

Description

A cabbage family herb. It grows up to 80 cm tall. It completes its life cycle over 2 years or can grow for a few years. It has rings of dark glossy green leaves at the base. These have teeth around the edge. The stems are erect and have a few branches. The lower stem leaves are broadest just above the middle. They are 7-15 cm long and have deep lobes along the sides. They have leaf stalks. The leaves further up the stem are smaller and without stalks. The flowers are bright yellow. They occur in clusters in a cylinder shape. Each flower has 4 narrow yellow petals. The fruit pods are very narrow and 1.5-3 cm long. They have a short beak at the tip. The pods split open along their length to release the small seeds.

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers Leaves Edible Uses: Young leaves - raw or cooked like spinach. A hot cress-like flavour. Young leaves are chopped up finely and added to salads, older leaves can be used as a potherb but they are rather strong and are best cooked in one or two changes of water. The leaves are available all year round, even in the winter, especially if the weather is mild. To increase the productivity of the plants, remove the flowering stems as they appear (they can be eaten like the leaves) and pick the outer leaves as the plant regrows. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. Young flowering stems - harvested before the flowers open and cooked like broccoli. Foraging: Leaves (raw in small amounts; best cooked), pre-bloom shoots/buds as raab. Flowers are garnish-edible. Edibility rating: 3/5 (reliable pot-herb; quality depends on youth and site) [2-3]. Raw: peppery/mustardy, “relatively mild” versus other wild mustards but still assertive. Briefly boil (2–3 min) or blanch and then sauté yields savory, mildly bitter greens and a vibrant, yellow-green broth ideal for soups/grains. Mix with fat (olive oil, butter) and acid (lemon/vinegar). Tight buds stir-fry well. Avoid roadside or fertilized edges that can intensify harshness [2-3]. Seasonality (Phenology): Rosettes: autumn–early spring. Harvest greens: early–mid spring (best pre-bolt). Flower/seed: late spring–early summer; palatability declines after full bloom. Seed set: early/mid summer. Look-Alikes & Confusion Risks: Other yellow-flowered mustards (Sinapis/Brassica, Rorippa, Descurainia), and edible upland cress (B. verna). Confirm glabrous plant, clasping upper leaves, and siliques with ~=3 mm beak. Not to be confused with toxic buttercups (5+ petals, different fruit) or hemlock (umbels, not racemes). Traditional/Indigenous Use Summary: Primarily a European potherb adopted by settlers in North America; in many regions it served as a spring tonic green. Limited indigenous North American food records compared with other native mustards.

Traditional Uses

The leaves have a hot peppery flavour useful in cooking. It can be used in salads, soups, sandwiches. Leaves from young rosettes in late winter when the weather is less frosty are less bitter. The later more bitter leaves need to be cooked in 2 or 3 changes of water.

Medicinal Uses

Antiscorbutic Appetizer Diuretic Vulnerary The leaves are vulnerary and have been used as a poultice for treating wounds. A tea made from the leaves is appetizer, antiscorbutic and diuretic.

Known Hazards

There is a report that ingestion of the leaves can lead to kidney malfunction.

Distribution

A temperate plant. It grows along ditches, river banks, damp grasslands, waste places, roadsides, fields, disturbed sites between 700–4100 m altitude in China. It can grow in reasonably moist conditions. It does best in sun of partial shade. It responds to good fertility. It suits hardiness zones 6-10.

Where It Grows

Afghanistan, Africa, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Asia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Balkans, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Caucasus, Central Asia, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Europe, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Himalayas, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mediterranean, Middle East, Mongolia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Africa, North America, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Scandinavia, Siberia, Sicily, Slovakia, Slovenia, South America, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tasmania, Tibet, Turkey, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Ukraine, USA, Yugoslavia,

Cultivation

Identification & Habit: Biennial to short-lived perennial; glabrous. Basal leaves pinnate with fewer lobes than B. verna; upper leaves clasping and lobed. Bright yellow 4-petaled flowers in racemes. Siliques 2–5 cm, rounded-tetragonal, typically with a distinct beak to ~3 mm (key difference from B. orthoceras). Plants often form colonies along wet ditches and stream edges. Succeeds in sun or shade in a moist well-drained soil. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.8 to 7.5. The plant can continue to grow all winter, especially if the weather is mild. A short-lived perennial, though plants usually self-sow freely when in a suitable position. There is at least one named form, developed for its ornamental value. 'Variegata' has variegated leaves and grows less strongly than the type. A good bee plant. Cultivar/Selection Notes: No named horticultural cultivars for wild use; culinary seed is sold as wintercress/yellow rocket. Some strains are slightly broader-leafed and milder. Pests & Problems: Flea beetles, aphids, sporadic cabbageworms; diseases include white rust (Albugo candida), downy mildew, and leaf spots in wet springs. Heat causes rapid bolting.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 3 weeks. Division in spring. his plant is a short-lived perennial, and also usually self-sows freely, so we have not found division to be worthwhile.

Other Uses

Ecology & Wildlife: Early nectar/pollen for hoverflies, bees. Larval host for some brassica-feeding Lepidoptera; stands can harbor beneficial predators that help adjacent crops. Special Uses Attracts Wildlife

Production

Leaves are normally picked nefore flowering. The leaves can become bitter in later spring. Covering the leaves near harvest to blanch them can reduce bitterness.

Other Information

It is sold in local markets.

Notes

There are 12 Barbarea species.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Barbara's cress, Ktsmndkzuk, Land cress, Lassana, Navadna barbica, Ou zhou shan jie, Surepka, Vinterkarse, Wintercress

References (39)

• W. T. Aiton, Hortus kew. ed. 2, 4:109. 1812
• Beckstrom-Sternberg, Stephen M., and James A. Duke. "The Foodplant Database." http://probe.nalusda.gov:8300/cgi-bin/browse/foodplantdb.(ACEDB version 4.0 - data version July 1994) (As Campe barbarea)
• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 54
• Bodkin, F., 1991, Encyclopedia Botanica. Cornstalk publishing, p 132
• Brickell, C. (Ed.), 1999, The Royal Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants. Convent Garden Books. p 160

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