Lepidium coronopus aka Creeping Wart Cress

Lepidium coronopus belongs to Brassicaceae, the mustard family. It has a short life, as an annual or biennial. Its native range spans Macaronesia and Europe and reaches Central Asia. Kew places it in the temperate climate zone. The RHS calls it swine cress and lists olbrain dafadennog. It also goes by greater swinecress, creeping wartcress and crowfoot. Older sources call it Coronopus squamatus. Both the RHS and Plants For A Future link that name to this species.

The plant grows about 1 foot [0.3 metres] tall. It does not live for years as perennial plants do. An annual ends its life within one growing season. A biennial can live across two years. The sources give no width for a full-grown plant. They give no details of its leaves or stems. Records place it on coastal sands, gravel and in fields. It also grows where feet wear the ground, such as gateways.

Plants For A Future gives June to September as its bloom time. Each flower has both male and female organs. Flies move pollen from flower to flower. The plant is self-fertile: it can set seed with its own pollen. Seeds ripen from August to October. Thus, it blooms through summer, and seeds ripen into autumn. The evidence gives no flower colour or fruit shape. To grow new plants, sow seed where they will grow. Sow in spring or autumn, the stated sowing seasons.

This species grows in full sun or partial shade. It likes moist soil and accepts sand, loam or clay. Its stated pH range is mildly acid to mildly alkaline. Plants For A Future lists beds used to grow plants as a site. Records of where it grows give more clues for site choice. The source notes some risk of becoming a weed. It does not say how great that risk is. The evidence gives no hardiness rating or named pest problems. It also names no diseases.

Records show food uses for both leaves and roots. You can eat leaves raw or cooked, but taste limits their value. Plants For A Future notes a harsh taste and bad smell. It says long boiling makes the leaves better to eat. People eat the roots cooked. The source gives its food value a low score: one out of five. It lists no known hazards or uses as medicine. It lists no other uses, either. The lack of known hazards does not prove safety for pets.