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Tropaeolum minus

Common name:	Dwarf Nasturtium	Family:	Tropaeolaceae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. America - Peru, Ecuador.
Habitat:	Not known
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Dwarf Nasturtium [H,P], Empr Of India Nasturtium [H],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Geraniales. Nasturtium family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial. It is hardy to zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 4/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Condiment Flowers Leaves Seed Seedpod.

Leaves - raw[2, 27, 37]. A hot watercress flavour[183]. The leaves are very nice in small quantities on their own or as a flavouring in mixed salads, they are available from early summer until the first frosts of the autumn[K].
Flowers - raw[2, 27, 37, 183]. A very ornamental and tasty addition to the salad bowl, the flowers have a hot watercress flavour[7]. The flowers contain about 130mg vitamin C per 100g[218].
Young seed pods - raw[2, 27, 37]. These are even hotter than the flowers or leaves[K]. The seed pods can also be harvested whilst immature and pickled for use as a caper substitute[183].
Seed - raw or cooked. Very hot[K]. The mature seed can be ground into a powder and used as a pepper substitute[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antibiotic Antiseptic Aperient Diuretic Expectorant.

The whole plant is antibiotic, antiseptic, aperient, diuretic and expectorant[7, 21]. It is useful in breaking up congestion in the respiratory passages and chest during colds[21]. The juice or tea can be used as an external or internal antiseptic[21]. The plant has antibiotic properties towards aerobic spore forming bacteria[61], it is also said to have a beneficial effect on the blood by promoting the formation of blood cells[21].

Other Uses

Insecticide Repellent.

The growing plant attracts aphids away from other plants. Research indicates that aphids flying over plants with orange or yellow flowers do not stop, nor do they prey on plants growing next to or above the flowers[201].
An insecticide can be made from an infusion of leaves and soap flakes[201].

Cultivation details

Prefers a rich light well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade[37]. More and lusher leaves are produced when the plant is growing in a rich soil, though less flowers are produced[238]. When grown in a soil of low fertility the leaves are smaller and less lush, though more flowers are produced[200, K] The plant will also succeed in very poor soils[202]. Dislikes drought[37].
This species is not frost hardy in Britain but it is often grown in the flower garden as an annual when it will frequently self-sow[37]. In cold springs, however, the seed will often not germinate until mid or even late summer, which is too late to produce a reasonable crop[K]. There are some named varieties[183].
Grows well with radishes, cabbages and fruit trees, improving their growth and flavour[14, 20]. A good companion for many plants, keeping many harmful insects at bay and also improving the growth and flavour of neighbouring crops[201]. Aphids on nasturtiums indicate a lime deficiency in the soil[20].
Slugs and snails love eating this plant, so it can be grown to attract them away from other plants[201]. The caterpillars of the cabbage white butterfly can be a nuisance and often cause considerable damage to the leaves[219].

Propagation

Seed - sow April in situ. The seed usually germinates within 2 weeks. Seed can also be sown in March in pots in a greenhouse and planted out in late spring or early summer.

Cultivars

'': No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Suppliers

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

Web References

Latin and Worldwide Common Names From Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database by M. H. Porcher et. al. 1995 - 2000 Landcare Systems Research Laboratory, Department of Crop Production,Institute of Land and Food Resources, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[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

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.

[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.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

[202] Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking. 1990 ISBN 0-670-82929-3
Contains information on 2,000 species and cultivars, giving details of cultivation requirements. The text is terse but informative.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[219] Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983 ISBN 0-00-219220-0
A nice little book about plants for growing against walls and a small section on plants that can grow in walls.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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