Tropaeolum majus (Nasturtium, Indian Cress)
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> Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering
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Eurosid II > Order: Brassicales > Family: Tropaeoleaceae > Genus: Tropaeolum
Nasturtium Tropaeolum majus, growing
alongside road in Cape Town.
Native to the Andes in South America, from
Bolivia to Colombia. A common
weed in Cape Town, in gardens and along roadsides and riverbanks (where else in
Leaves are sometimes eaten in salad and contain mustard
oils which give them a slightly peppery flavour. This flavour is similar to that
provided by Watercress
leaves (also used in salads) and perhaps it is for this reason that the names of
these two species have become confused: whereas the common name for Tropaeolum
majus is Nasturtium, the latin name for Watercress was Nasturtium
officinale (it is now Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum).
White Butterfly Pieris brassicae completes its life cycle on
both cruciferous plants (Brassicaceae,
to which Watercress belongs) and on Nasturtium plants which emphasises the fact
that their chemistry is similar. It is also noteworthy that the Brassicaceae
and the Tropaeoleaceae fall within the same order Brassicales.