Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Cardamine hirta

I have another flower blooming in my garden. I only recently learned its name: on Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, Daricia of "A Charlotte Garden" posted that she had Cardamine blooming in her garden. And that is how I discovered what it was. Cardamine is considered a bitter herb, so if you are an herb person, and know what you are doing, there are uses for Cardamine. But PLEASE don't go eat something or make something into to tea just because you read about it here! I don't know much about that subject at all! I did pick and eat some today. I think I like the way it tastes. Salad, anyone? Hey! Maybe it will cure my cold.



There are quite a few of the Cardamine hirsuta plants scattered here and there, for it reseeds itself, but only a few of them, so far, have started to bloom. The white flowers are minuscule and the plants themselves are rather small and low-growing. Did I mention that they are considered noxious, invasive weeds? But I don't like to pull them out, even though I should, because the flowers are so delicate and charming. Besides, might their taproot help loosen the soil, or something beneficial like that?


(See the bulb the ice or the cats unearthed?)

Have a beautiful day!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This looks a lot like a flower that Charis picks for me - in teeny tiny bouquets. I will have to ask her if it is the same. We had no idea you could eat it!
-M

Anonymous said...

Do you have common chickweed too? (Stellaria) When I first saw your photos I thought that it was chickweed. At closer look, your cardamine seems to be similar to our mustard cress or winter cress (Barbarea) here but ours have yellow flowers and often grow quite tall (they are all in the Brassica family which is why the cardamine and cress flowers look like broccoli flowers). Chickweed hugs the ground more although the flower heads might be six inches up at most. The flowers are very different.
-Janice

Ruth said...

M, it probably is the same plant. Check the leaves. The flower stems get taller and airy. If you are SURE it is the same, then you can add it to your salad! PLEASE don't endanger your family based on what I wrote!!! :)

Ruth said...

Janice, yes, we have chickweed, too! Lots of it! :) Yes, the cardamine is in the Brassica family. The cardamine and chickweed flowers are indeed different, although that is not obvious from the stage the cardamine flower is in right now, in my pictures. It is so nice to have you comment on my blog! I also like knowing it is you and not just "Anonymous!" :)