Land Cress (American Cress)
Barbarea verna
Barbarea verna is a biennial herb in the family Brassicaceae. Common names include land cress, American cress, bank cress, black wood cress, Belle Isle cress, Bermuda cress, poor man's cabbage, early yellowrocket, early wintercress, scurvy cress, creasy greens, and upland cress. It is native to southern Europe and western Asia, and naturalized elsewhere It has been cultivated as a leaf vegetable in England since the 17th century. As it requires less water than watercress, it is easier to cultivate.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
At a glance
- Sunlight
- Partial shade
- Water need
- Medium
- Mature height
- 0.3 m
- Maintenance
- Low
- Hardiness
- USDA 5–9
- Layers
- herb, groundcover
Functional roles
Propagation
How to make more of this plant for free — the permaculture way.
When: Sow spring/late summer; self-seeds
A watercress-flavoured leaf that needs no running water; crops through winter in milder spots.
Where to get it
Read more
Seed data pending expert review. Identification photo and description are sourced from Wikipedia/Wikimedia; always confirm a plant in person before eating any part of it.