Common Wintercress is a
native
perennial plant of the UK, typically found growing in damp ground, hedgerows and waste ground, to a mature height of up to 100cm.
Wintercress overwinters with its leaves intact and takes its name from its traditional use as a salad leaf or leafy vegetable in winter. The plant provides a valuable source of vitamins A and C and gives rise to the alternative name of 'Scurvy Grass'.
Botanic classification and naming: Common Wintercress is a member of the Cabbage (Brassicaceae) family. The genus name
'Barbarea' identifies the plant as a Wintercress and its species name 'vulgaris' means 'common species'.
Concerns: Note that unsupervised foraging may cause damage to wild plants and misidentification of forage species may be dangerous. The complete removal of a plant from the wild is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981).
Benefits: Wintercress contains saponins which acts as a natural insecticide and can be used in biological control of pests, avoiding the use of chemicals.
Benefits to wildlife are also indicated with orange icons in the plant profile bar at the top.
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