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Wasabia japonicaWasabia japonica

Common name: Japanese Horseradish Family: Cruciferae
Author: (Miq.)Matsum. Botanical references: 58, 200
Synonyms: Eutrema wasabi ((Siebold) Maxim.)
Known Hazards: None known
Range: E. Asia - Japan.
Habitat: Wet places and by streams, in lowland and mountain areas[58]. Usually found near the coast[200].
Edibility Rating (1-5): 2Medicinal Rating (1-5):1

Other Possible Synonyms:From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
Cochlearia wasabi[G] Eutrema japonica[G] Lunaria japonica[G] W. pungens[G] W. wasabi[G]
Other Common Names:From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
Wasabi [P,E],
Systematics:From a USDA Plants Database
Order: Capparales. Renamed to Brassicaceae -- Mustard family
Other Range Info: From the Ethnobotany Database
Japan

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.3m by 0.2m . It is hardy to zone 8. It is in flower from April to May. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs). We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires wet soil and can grow in water.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Pond, Bog Garden.

Edible Uses

Condiment Leaves Root.

Root - a horseradish substitute[2, 46, 58, 61, 105]. The fleshy rhizomes are finely grated and prepared into an attractive fresh green paste which is much used as a condiment in Japan[183]. It is considered to have a distinct flavour and pungency that is superior to horseradish, Armoracia rusticana[183]. The pungency rapidly deteriorates once the root has been cut[200]. Roots of plants 15 - 24 months old are best[238].
Leaves, flowers and petioles - cooked[105, 179, 200]. The leaves, flowers, leafstalks and freshly sliced rhizome are soaked in salt water and then mixed with saki lees to make a popular Japanese pickle called 'wasabi-zuke'[183]. The following analysis is said to belong to the leaves but it looks more like a root analysis[K]. The leaves contain about 6.1% protein, 0.2% fat, 22.3% carbohydrate, 1.3% ash[179].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Digestive.

The root is a pungent warming herb that stimulates the digestion[238]. It is used internally as an antidote to fish poison[238]. (This probably refers to food poisoning caused by eating fish[K]).

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Prefers a position in wet soil or shallow water. The best quality roots are produced from plants growing in semi-shade in clear running spring water at a temperature between 11 - 14° c[200].
This species is cultivated in eastern Asia for its edible root which is used in much the same way as horseradish[58], it takes 3 - 5 years to produce marketable roots[116]. The roots are finger-thick and up to 18cm long[206].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and keep the seed permanently moist[238]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first year. Stand the pots in shallow water to ensure the plants do not dry out. Plant them out in late spring or early summer.
Division in spring as the plant comes into growth. Very easy, the larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.

Suppliers

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

Web References

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.

[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.

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[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.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[116] Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986
A small booklet packed with information.

[179] Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977
A translation of an ancient Chinese book on edible wild foods. Fascinating.

[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.

[206] Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4
Well written and very informative.

[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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