Land cress facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Land cress |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Barbarea
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| Species: |
verna
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Land cress (scientific name: Barbarea verna) is a type of plant that lives for two years. It is a green plant, also known as a herb, and belongs to the Brassicaceae family. This family includes other well-known plants like cabbage and broccoli.
People call land cress by many names, such as American cress, bank cress, and upland cress. Sometimes it's called creasy greens. This plant originally comes from southern Europe and western Asia. However, it has spread and now grows naturally in many other places around the world.
People in England have been growing land cress as a leaf vegetable since the 1600s. It's a popular choice because it doesn't need as much water as watercress, making it easier to grow in gardens or farms.
How People Use Land Cress
Land cress is a great plant to eat. Many people think it tastes similar to watercress, so it can be used in the same ways.
Cooking with Land Cress
You can use land cress in many different dishes. It's often added to sandwiches or fresh salads to give them a peppery flavor. You can also cook it, just like you would cook spinach. Some people add it to soups for extra taste and nutrients.
Growing Land Cress at Home
Land cress is quite easy to grow in your own garden. Even though it likes water, it doesn't do well if it's underwater for too long. This plant needs plenty of sunlight. It also needs to be watered often, unless it's growing near a natural water source.
In the Appalachian Mountains of the United States, land cress is a common green vegetable. It's one of the few plants that can survive the cold winter months there. This means people can still harvest it even when other plants have died off.
Other names for this plant include dryland cress and American watercress. When its leaves are cooked in a similar way to Southern collard greens, they are often called creasy greens. There is even a special type of land cress with different colored leaves, known as a variegated form.
See also
In Spanish: Barbarea verna para niños
