Lesser Swinecress

This weed is prolific, at present, mainly in an area of our lawn that died back, after grass grubs proliferated after a wet spell towards the end of summer.

binomial name : Coronopus didymus
common name : Lesser Swinecress

Identification:

This is an annual plant that I mainly see in winter. It belongs to the brassica family, which is not surprising, as it has a really pungent mustard taste that I find not unpleasant. It forms a dense mat about 0.5m radius and about 10cm high with small leaves a little like carrot. The distinctive feature is the flowering stem which protrudes from the leaf stalks , which are hairy, and has multiple tiny bilobed seeds arranged in a linear fashion.






History :

Not much to report apart from it being used in Brazil as a traditional medicine for illnesses characterised by inflammation and pain. Cows that eat pasture with Coronopus apparently have tainted milk.

Nutritional :

Not much information but it would have flavonoids, saponins, tanins and mustard oils. No doubt other phytochemicals as well.


Uses:

The pungent raw leaves add real bite to salads and sandwiches or as a garnish. It can be cooked as a potherb. We have only nibbled on this weed when out in our yard. A chef into spicy foods would find this weed most interesting probably.

Medical (pubmed) reports :

1.An extract of Lesser swinecress was found to a have an anti-inflammatory effect in the mouse paw and pleural models ( the tissues are "irritated" by exposure to noxious chemicals and the effect of Coronopus was to reduce this inflammation).
2.Another study used an extract of Coronopus in gamma irradiated mice- it was found to have a protective effect against radiation.
3.Finally a study from 2005 showed that an extract of Coronopus had significant antiallergy, antipyretic, hypoglycemic and hepatoprotective effects.


Conclusion:

Another interesting edible weed that is usually overlooked and simply pulled out.

Tom

one of these photos is from google images this time as I was unable to get a good shot of the seeds (camera problems)