Bunias orientalis aka Turkish Rocket

Bunias orientalis belongs to the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. Its common names include Turkish rocket, hill mustard, and warty cabbage. Its native range runs from east-central Europe to Siberia and northeast China. It also extends from Türkiye to Iran. This temperate plant is not native to Britain or Ireland. It grows on farmed land and disturbed ground.

This herb forms leafy clumps and may be biennial or perennial. Garden plants reach about 1.6–3.3 feet (0.5–1 m) tall. Their spread ranges from 0.3–1.6 feet (0.1–0.5 m). Plants reach full size in one to two years. The leaves have lobes, toothed edges, and some hairs. The foliage is deciduous, rather than lasting throughout the year. Young leaves taste mild and cabbage-like, but older leaves become hotter.

Small yellow flowers form heads in summer. Before they open, the clustered buds provide an edible crop. Cooks can prepare these buds much like broccoli. Young leaves and stems can be eaten raw or cooked. Their mild taste suits mixed salads, though leaf hairs affect texture. Some people find the leaves hard to digest. Cooking offers another way to use them as a vegetable. Leaves can appear near winter’s end and last into late autumn. Leaf growth may pause while the plant flowers. The flowering stems are also edible, with a mild, slightly sweet taste.

Grow this plant in full sun and soil that drains well. It accepts sand, loam, clay, and chalk. It also tolerates acid, neutral, and alkaline soil. Moist soil suits it, but established plants can cope with drought. Both exposed and sheltered sites suit its growth. The RHS gives it a UK hardiness rating of H5. Plants For A Future lists USDA zones 6–9. Raise new plants from seed or root cuttings. Routine pruning is not needed.

Turkish rocket suits a low-maintenance edible garden or food forest. Plants For A Future also lists sunny woodland edges and dappled shade. Slugs and snails may damage young shoots. The RHS reports few disease problems and resistance to club root. Plants For A Future reports no known hazards or medicinal uses. Its edible status does not rule out the digestive trouble some people report.