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Practical ecological knowledge for the temperate reader. |
Family: Brassicaceae (Mustard) [E-flora]
"Annual (perennial herb), fleshy, many-branched, glabrous.
Stem: erect or decumbent.
Leaf: fleshy, cauline, petioled or not, base not lobed.
Inflorescence: terminal, elongating.
Flower: sepal base not sac-like; petals white to lavender (0).
Fruit: silique or silicle, fleshy, in age corky, indehiscent, segmented, segments 2, transversely jointed, each generally 1-seeded; stigma entire or ± 2-lobed.
Seed: oblong.
7 species: shores, eastern North America, Europe, northern Africa. (Arabic name) [Rodman 1974 Contr Gray Herb 205:3–146]" [Jepson]
"There are two species of Cakile on the shores of Europe and five in North America. The others are scattered around the globe (Kartesz 1994, Mabberley 1997). A total of seven species are now recognized, although Philip Miller knew only one when he described the genus in 1754." [Daniel F. Austin]
1. Silicles slightly to much constricted at the joints, leaves mostly spoon-shaped or egg-shaped, wavy-margined and toothed, sometimes pinnately lobed or nearly entire......................................C. edentula
1. Silicles usually expanded at the joints into projecting wings; at least the lower leaves usually distinctly pinnately cleft..........................C. maritima [IFBC-E-flora]
Food Use
"People in southern Labrador have long cooked the plants as greens, and the common names suggest that other people have done the same. Fernald et al. (1958) were not overly enthusiastic about them. Kalm ([1753–1761] 1972) noted that people in the province of Quebec at Cap aux Oyes pounded the root, “mixed with flour, and eaten here, when there is a scarcity of bread.” Tussac (1808–1827) recorded that blacks in the Antilles boiled the leaves and put them on persistent sores as a detersive." [Daniel F. Austin]
"North American Indians used the powdered root of Cakile edulenta (Bigel.) Hook, and Cakile maritima Scop. (Sea rocket), which apparently possessed antiscorbutic properties, in baking." [Middleditch KP]
Phytochemistry
"The genus Cakile is found in both the Old World and New World. Many variants of taxa of this genus were described and relationships were poorly understood until Cakile was monographed by Rodman (1974)." [Seiger PSM]
"Glucosinolates were isolated from seeds, hydrolyzed, and converted to the thiocyanates and oxazolidine-2-thiones. Analysis was similar to that above. The two morphologically distinct seeds of fruits of Cakile species did not differ in composition. Further, there seemed to be little variation within populations of a particular species. Although the qualitative pattern of greenhouse-grown plants was almost identical to that of wild plants, some quantitative differences were observed. The glucosinolates were found to be stable under a number of environmental conditions and consistently present in popUlations of each taxon. Single plants usually contained the full complement of compounds found in mass collections. Distinctive qualitative and quantitative patterns were found for most of the taxa studied. Intraspecific variation which correlated with morphologically recognized subspecies was found in Cakile edentula, C. maritima, and C. laneeolata. Geographic variation was not closely linked to morphological variation in Atlantic coast C. eden· tula ssp. edentula and in Pacific coast C. edentula where it appeared to be clinal (Rodman, 1974)." [Seiger PSM]
Use of Non-local Species
Subtaxa Present in B.C.
"Cakile edentula is a ANNUAL growing to 0.6 m (2ft).
It is hardy to zone (UK) 6. It is in flower from Jun to August, and the seeds ripen from Aug to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies, beetles, lepidoptera.
Suitable for: light (sandy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure. " [PFAF]
"Sea rocket's (Cakile edentula) fleshy, wedge- shaped, hairless, wavy-toothed, alternate leaves are about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. Their succulence helps it conserve water -- a great advantage by the sea, where fresh water is at a premium. The small, pink-purple flowers, which grow in terminal clusters, are typical of the mustards, but the cone-shaped seedpods are unique. They look like the nose cones of rocket ships. They're round at the base and pointed at the tip. The resemblance is coincidental. Rocket is an old name for mustard. You find this salt-tolerant plant closer to the sea than almost anything that's not a seaweed. Its roots actually help hold the dunes together, so harvest with care." [Wildman]
Status: Exotic [E-flora]
"General: Annual herb from a taproot; stems freely branched, 10-50 cm tall, glabrous, base of lower stems often decumbent." [IFBC-E-flora]
"Leaves: Basal leaves widely egg- or spoon-shaped, fleshy, deeply toothed to wavy-margined and saw-toothed, with a broad stalk, 2-7 cm long; stem leaves similar." [IFBC-E-flora]
"Habitat / Range Moist to wet sandy shorelines in the lowland zone; common in coastal BC; N to AK and S to CA, also along the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Coast." [IFBC-E-flora]
"Don' t collect sea rocket on those beaches where sewers empty directly into the ocean, since this may affect the plant's safety." [Nyerges]
"Flower buds combined with milder greens used as potherb" [EMNMPV.7]
| Part: | Greens | Per 100 g fresh weight [Turner, Kuhnlein] |
| Water (g) | 94 | Thiamine (mg) | - | Magnesium (mg) | - |
| Crude Fiber (g) | - | Vitamin A (RE) | 4.4 | Iron (mg) | - |
Seed Oil, % on dry wt: 49 [LLCEOPS]
Cultivation & Propagation
"Prefers a light well-drained soil and a sunny position[1, 200]. This species is closely related to C. maritima[50]." [PFAF]
"Sea rocket is an annual that produces seed in the fall when the plant dies. These seeds sprout in early winter and spring. The plant is available for picking throughout most of the spring and summer. In fact, there are usually some leaves to be found year-round, but not in large amounts during the off-season." [Nyerges]
Aphid Host Plant - Acyrthosiphon auctum [Blackman AWHPS]
"Seed - sow late spring or early autumn in situ. Germination is usually rapid." [PFAF]
Subtaxa Present in B.C.
"Cakile maritima is a ANNUAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in).
It is hardy to zone (UK) 6 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from Jun to August, and the seeds ripen from Aug to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies, beetles, lepidoptera.
Suitable for: light (sandy) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure." [PFAF]
"European sea rocket is an introduced European species of coastal beach systems that is now found in North America in several US states (AL, CA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, OR, PA, TX, VA, WA) and one Canadian province (BC) (USDA 2010). In BC, it was known only from the west coast of Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlotte Islands until 2007, when it appeared in the Greater Vancouver area. Lomer (pers. com. 2009) reports that it appeared in that part of BC following a major storm in February 2006 that flooded homes in the Tsawwassen area. "The storm surge altered the beach, killing several inland shrubs and plants with salt water and covering acres with fresh deposits of sand. The next spring thousands of Cakile maritima showed up all over the beach at Tsawwassen...[it] is abundant at Boundary Bay now". This is an often sprawling, sometimes erect, annual taprooted beach species with distinctly pinnately lobed, stalked, lower leaves that are 3-6 cm long. Flowers are a pale lavender." [E-flora]
Status: Exotic [E-flora]
"General: Annual herb from a taproot; stems branched, 15-45 cm long, prostrate or ascending." [IFBC-E-flora]
"Leaves: Basal leaves egg-shaped or oblanceolate to deeply pinnately lobed, fleshy, the lower leaves usually distinctly pinnately lobed, stalked, 3-6 cm long; upper stem leaves less lobed or entire, unstalked." [IFBC-E-flora]
"Habitat / Range Mesic to moist disturbed areas in the lowland zone; rare in SW BC, known only from the W coast of Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlotte Islands; introduced from Europe." [IFBC-E-flora]
"Additional Notes Until 2006, this species was known only from Vancouver Island and the Queen Charlotte Islands. However, it is now reported from the BC mainland at Boundary Bay (Lomer 2009) and Iona Beach (Benson 2009, Taylor 2008). According to Lomer, following a wind storm and storm surge in February 2006, the beach in Tsawwassen was inundated with salt water and acres of fresh sand were deposited. "The next spring, thousands of Cakile maritima showed up all over the beach at Tsawwassen". The same storm likely brought the species to the Iona sand spit." [E-flora]
Phytochemicals
Cakile maritima Scop. subsp. baltica - Seed Oil, % on dry wt: 40.28–48.8 [1–3] [LLCEOPS]
Vitamin C - Cakile maritima Scop. (often over 150 mg/100 g). [Tardio MWEP]
"...Cakile maritima Scop.... leaves, have shown higher iron values, around 4 mg/100 g." [Tardio MWEP]
Greens - (per 100g fresh wt) 94g water, 4.4 RE Vitamin A [Turner&Kuhnlein]
"Prefers a light well-drained soil and a sunny position[1, 200]. Plants are easily grown in a garden situation and can self-sow if the ground is disturbed by hoeing etc[K]. This species is closely related to C. edentula, which is native to N. America[17]. The seed is often dispersed by floating in sea water[17]." [PFAF]
"Plants from the family Brassicaceae represent a differential range of tolerance to two important abiotic stresses viz. salinity and trace metals. Cakile spp. and Crambe maritima and R. raphanistrum ssp. maritimus occurring in coastal strand habitats have been observed to exhibit distinct tolerance to salinity levels (Boyd and Barbour 1986; Megdiche et al. 2007)." [Alloway TPFB]
"...roots of some plant species such as ... Cakile maritima Scop. (Brassicaceae) are not colonized." [Pagano RAMF]
Aphid Host Plant - "Acyrthosiphon auctum; Aphis fabae; Brevicoryne brassicae; Lipaphis erysimi; [Cavariella theobaldi]; [Hyadaphis foeniculi]; Myzus persicae, [varians]" [Blackman AWHPS]
"Seed - sow late spring or early autumn in situ. Germination is usually rapid." [PFAF]
"The diaspore is a heavy, winged fruit which may roll on the ground. It floats well on water, a mode of dispersal common to other coastal plants such as Cakile maritima and Pancratium maritimum. By drifting in currents of seawater, these species can and have crossed long distances." [Danin PDD]
"Along the Californian coast, seedlings of the strand annual Cakile maritima typically have their cotyledons on the sand surface but germination occurs at depths of 3-10cm (Barbour et al. 1973)." [Danin PDD]
Synonyms