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Crambe maritima

Common name:	Seacale	Family:	Cruciferae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	17, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Atlantic coast of Europe, including Britain, along the Baltic coast and around the Black Sea.
Habitat:	Coastal sands, shingle, rocks and cliffs near the sea, often on the drift line[17].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	C. pontica[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Sea Cabbage [H], Sea Kale [H,P], Sea-kale [L,B], Zeekool [D],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	maritima = on the sea-coast
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Capparales. Renamed to Brassicaceae -- Mustard family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.6m by 0.6m . It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees and flies. The plant is self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife. We rate it 4/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. The plant prefers neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in saline soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds, Ground Cover.

Cultivar 'Lily White': Cultivated Beds, Ground Cover.

Edible Uses

Flowers Leaves Root.

Young leaves - raw or cooked like spinach[9, 12, 37, 52, 183]. They have a pleasant almost nutty flavour and go well in a mixed salad[K]. They also make a very pleasant cooked vegetable[K]. Older leaves develop a bitterness and are not so pleasant[K].
Young shoots - raw or cooked[2, 5, 37, 46, 183]. Available in the spring, they have a delicate nutty flavour with a crisp texture[200, 264]. The shoots are usually blanched and can be cooked like asparagus[9, 183]. When properly cooked they retain their crispness and have a very agreeable flavour, somewhat like hazelnuts but with a slight bitterness[183].
Root - cooked. Rich in starch and sugars[74].
Young flower buds - raw or cooked[264]. The flowering shoots are harvested when about 10 - 15cm long and before the flowers have opened. Used like sprouting broccoli, they are quite nice raw and delicious when lightly steamed[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Ground cover.

Plants can be used for ground cover when spaced about 60cm apart each way[208].

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, succeeding in a good loam and an open sunny position[1, 111, 200] but also tolerating some shade[188]. Prefers a slightly alkaline soil in a position sheltered from strong winds[200] (this report totally conflicts with the plants native habitat which is on sea shores - we have found this species to be very tolerant of strong maritime winds though it does not like cold northerlies much[K]). Tolerates poor soil and some shade[200]. Dislikes acid[1] and very stiff soils[37]. Prefers a rich , well-drained very deep sandy loam and a pH of 7[104, 264]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[190].
This species is hardy to about -20° c[187], it grows best in a cool maritime climate[200].
Seakale is sometimes cultivated for its edible young shoots in the spring which are blanched by excluding light in order to make them less bitter[61, 264]. Two or three crops can usually be harvested each year[264]. There are some named varieties[183]. The roots are sometimes brought into a greenhouse in the winter and grown on there in order to produce an early crop of shoots[183].
A deep-rooted and very long-lived plant[233, 264], it dislikes root disturbance[164].
The seed is dispersed by seawater, on which it can float for several days without loss of viability[17].
A good bee plant[115].

Propagation

Seed - sow March/April in a seedbed outdoors and either thin the plants out or move them to their permanent positions when about 10cm tall[111]. Plants can be cropped once they are more than 12 months old[264]. The young plants are very attractive to slugs so some protection will often be needed.
Germination can be slow so it is best to sow the seed in pots in a cold frame[164]. Germination usually takes place in 3 - 26 weeks at 15° c[164]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out into their permanent positions when they are at least 10cm tall.
Division in spring or autumn[1, 111]. Dig up the root clump and cut off as many sections as you require, making sure they all have at least one growing point. The larger of these divisions can be planted out straight into their permanent positions, though small ones are best potted up and grown on in a cold frame until they are established.
Root cuttings, 3 - 10 cm long, in spring[104]. These can be planted straight into the open ground or you can pot them up in the greenhouse and plant them out once they are growing strongly.

Cultivars

'Lily White': Young leaves are totally devoid of the purple tinge that develops on those of the common type when exposed to the light, becoming green under similar conditions[183].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

PFAF Web Pages

This plant is mentioned in the following web pages

PFAF Species Database Bibliography

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for crambe maritima (a possible synonym).

[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures
[HP] PhotoFrom Henriette's plant pictures

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[12] Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2
A handy pocket guide.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[52] Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[104] RHS. The Garden. Volume 111. Royal Horticultural Society 1986
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS, including an article in Crambe maritima and another on several species thought to be tender that are succeeding in a S. Devon garden.

[111] Sanders. T. W. Popular Hardy Perennials. Collingridge 1926
A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.

[115] Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.

[164] Bird. R. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 4. Thompson and Morgan. 1990
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[187] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991 ISBN 0-330-30936-9
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.

[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.

[190] Chatto. B. The Dry Garden. Dent 1982 ISBN 0460045512
A good list of drought resistant plants with details on how to grow them.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[208] Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990 ISBN 0-460-12609-1
An excellent detailled book on the subject, very comprehensive.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[264] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Vegetables Macmillan Reference Books, London. 1995 ISBN 0 333 62640 0
Excellent and easily read book with good information and an excellent collection of photos of vegetables from around the world, including many unusual species.

Readers Comments

Crambe maritima

Richard Clark (rmc@swisp.net.au) Fri Dec 29 15:59:12 2000

How do you spell 'tollerate'? I'd say 'tolerate' with one 'l'.

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