Cardamine bulbifera 'Coralroot'

Brassicaceae: a perennial of undisturbed woodland on calcareous or sandy soils. The flowers are up to 18mm across, with 4 pink petals, blooming from April-May. The fruit are about 3.5cm long and narrow. The leaves are pinnately divided, with 1-3 pairs of leaflets, small brown bulbils are borne in the axils. A rare plant, found locally in South Eastern England only. Native to Central Europe from Britain and France to Sweden, east to the Balkans, Western Asia and the Caucasus.

USES:

The leaves can be used raw or cooked, they have a hot cress-like flavour. The bulbils can also be eaten raw or cooked, they are rather small, about the size ofa lentil, but have a pleasant mild cress-like flavour. The root be eaten raw or cooked, and has a hot flavour, it is pleasant but rather small.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Surface sow seeds in the spring. If you have sufficient seed it can be sown in situ, otherwise it is best to sow it in pots in a cold frame. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and pant out in the summer. The bulbils can be collected in early summer and potted up. Keep them in a cold frame over the winter and plant out when in active growth in the spring. Prefers a moist humus rich soil in shade or semi-shade. The flowers are rarely visited by pollinating insects and seed is rarely set, propagation is carried out by means of bulbils formed on the axils of the upper leaf stems.

 
HARVESTED: 2025

 
APPROX. 10 bulbils [NOT SEEDS!]