Hairy Bittercress, Cardamine hirsuta
Description
If you go out into your yard or garden, chances are that you find this plant in a pavement crack or in one of your plant pots. Hairy Bittercress is extremely common and is suprisingly tasty, having a slightly peppery, slightly bitter flavour. It's great as a cress substitute, so is wonderful in a soup or stew, or even on an egg mayo or roast beef sandwich. Hairy Bittercress grows is a mass of small ovate green leaves that forms a tight rosette. It's really easy to ID, and is available all year round.
Hairy Bittercress Checklist
Habitat
π³ Deciduous Woodland.
π² Coniferous Woodland.
π Grassland, including paddocks, fields and meadows.
π Waterways, including rivers, lakes and streams.
π‘ Urban Green Spaces, including scrubland, parks and gardens.
π’ Urban Environments, wasteland, Streets and pavements.
π Hedgerows, including field edges.
Season
πΈππβοΈ Jan - Dec
Leaves
βοΈ Small, green, ovate and hairy. The leaves sprout from a central root and branch out to form a rosette. The leaves grow in pairs at opposite sides of the stem.
Flowers
π· Tiny, delicate four-petalled white flowers sprout from a thin stem.
Fruit / Seeds
π The seed pods resemble long thin pea pods and are green-brown in colour.
Edible Parts
βοΈ Leaves
π± Stem
Aroma / Taste
π Indistinct Aroma
π
The leaves are mildly peppery, a little like Rocket.
ID Notes
π© ID Difficulty - Beginner
π The ladder-like leaf stalks are a key identifier of this plant.
Uses
π₯ Salad - Can be eaten raw and added to salads.
πΊ Garnish - is a great garnish in egg mayo sandwiches.
π₯¬ Green - Can be cooked as a leaf vegetable.
πΏ Herb - Can be used to add a peppery flavour.