Orychophragmus violaceus

(L.) O. E. Schultz

Second moon orchid, Premier Zhu-ge's vegetable

Brassicaceae Edible: Leaves 1,742 iNaturalist observations

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

iNaturalist· cc-by

iNaturalist· pd

池田正樹, no known copyright restrictions (public domain)

Summary

Source: Wikipedia

Orychophragmus violaceus, the Chinese violet cress, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is native to northern and southeastern China and North Korea, and it has been introduced to Japan and the U.S. state of Virginia. An annual or biennial herb typically 60 cm (24 in) tall, it is found in a wide variety of habitats, including anthropogenically disturbed ones. Hardy in USDA zones 7 through 10, in China it is cultivated as a vegetable for its stalks. The Royal Horticultural Society considers it "potentially harmful".

Description

A cabbage family herb which takes 1 or 2 years to complete its life cycle. It grows 50 cm high and spreads 30 cm wide. The leaves near the base are thin and lyre shaped. They are divided into lobes along the stalk. The leaves on the stem are simple and oval. The flowers have 4 petals. They are violet. The flowers occur in clusters. The pod is 7-10 cm long and has 4 ridges. It has a beak 2-3 cm long. The seeds are black-brown.

Edible Uses

The leaves are edible and best used cooked.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Distribution

It grows on roadsides, gardens, forests, fields, thickets, valleys, hillsides, sunny slopes; near sea level to 1500 m altitude in China. It is often self-sown under Juniper and Thuja trees. It suits hardiness zones 9-11. In Sichuan.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, China, Japan, Korea, North America, USA,

Propagation

Sow seed in situ in spring or early summer.

Other Uses

None known

Other Information

It is eaten as a leaf vegetable in China.

Notes

There are 2 Orychophragmus species.

Synonyms

Brassica violacea LinnaeusArabis chanetii H. LéveilléCardamine potentillifolia H. LéveilléMoricandia sonchifolia (Bunge) J. D. HookerMoricandia sonchifolia var. homaeophylla HanceOrychophragmus diffusus Z. M. Tan & J. M. XuOrychophragmus hupehensis (Pampanini) Z. M. Tan & X. L. ZhangOrychophragmus sonchifolius BungeOrychophragmus sonchifolius var. hupehensis PampaniniOrychophragmus sonchifolius var. intermedius PampaniniOrychophragmus sonchifolius var. subintegrifolius PampaniniOrychophragmus taibaiensis Z. M. Tan & B. Z. ZhaoOrychophragmus violaceus var. homaeophyllus (Hance) O. E. SchulzOrychophragmus violaceus var. hupehensis (Pampanini) O. E. SchulzOrychophragmus violaceus var. intermedius (Pampanini) O. E. SchulzOrychophragmus violaceus var. lasiocarpus MigoOrychophragmus violaceus var. subintegrifolius (Pampanini) O. E. SchulzRaphanus chanetii H. LéveilléRaphanus courtoisii H. LéveilléRaphanus violaceus (Linnaeus) Crantz.

Also Known As

Zhu ge cai, Eryuelan

References (9)

Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 54(Beibl. 119):56. 1916
Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 960
Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 58
Flora of China @ efloras.org Volume 8
Hu, Shiu-ying, 2005, Food Plants of China. The Chinese University Press. p 417

Show all 9 references

Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Valder, P., 1999, The Garden Plants of China. Florilegium. p 376
Wang, J. et al, 2013, A Study on the Utilization of Wild Plants for Food in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture. Plant Diversity and Resources. 35(4): 416-471
Zhou Taiyan, Lu Lianli, Yang Guang; Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz, BRASSICACEAE (CRUCIFERAE), Flora of China.