Crambe cordifolia

Crambe cordifolia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Brassicaceae
Genus:	Crambe
Species:	C. cordifolia
Binomial name
Crambe cordifolia Steven

Crambe cordifolia, the greater sea-kale, ^[1] colewort or heartleaf crambe ( syn. Crambe glabrata DC.), is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to the Caucasus. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. ^[2]

Epithet

The Latin specific epithet cordifolia, meaning "heart-shaped", refers to the leaves. ^[3]

Description

Growing to 2.5 m (8 ft) tall by 1.5 m (5 ft) broad, it is a substantial clump-forming herbaceous perennial with kidney-shaped dark green leaves, 35 cm (14 in) or more in length, which die down in mid- to late summer. ^[4] It is cultivated in gardens for its broad crinkled foliage and spectacular multi-branched inflorescences of many small fragrant white, cruciform (cross-shaped) flowers, reaching up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) high and appearing in early summer. Under droughty conditions the foliage depreciates. The plant is tap-rooted and resents disturbance.

References

1. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
2. "RHS Plant Selector - Crambe cordifolia" . Retrieved 15 April 2020.
3. Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. ISBN   9781845337315.
4. RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN   978-1405332965.

• Alfred Pink. Gardening for the Million.