Cuckoo Flower Edible

It tastes rather like a sharper version of watercress with a peppery rocket like kick.

Cuckoo flower edible. View full size image. Young leaves in the spring have an echo of the horseradishy flavours of its relative the cuckoo flower cardamine pratensis. The cruciform flowers typical of a member of the brasicca family. Cuckoo flower is seldom used in herbalism though an infusion of the leaves has been used to treat indigestion and promote appetite.

Cardamine pratensis the cuckoo flower lady s smock mayflower or milkmaids is a flowering plant in the family brassicaceae native throughout most of europe and western asia. Leaves and young shoots raw or cooked. With its beautiful cruciforme flowers this plant belongs to the brassica family and tastes of english mustard or wasabi. Rich in vitamins and minerals especially vitamin c but with a bitter and pungent flavour.

Lady s smock cuckoo flower. Cuckoo flower is native to temperate regions of both north america europe and western asia with old and new world populations separate as varieties though not all authorities accept this separation. The leaves and young shoots are harvested in the spring and taste rather like water cress. The specific name pratensis is latin for meadow.

The leaves and the flowering plant are antirheumatic antiscorbutic antispasmodic carminative digestive diuretic stimulant 9 146 172 238 240. It makes a truly excellent year round salad green and can be cooked like watercress though i think this is rather a waste of its fresh crunchy succulence. Edible autumn spring summer winter.