Cardamine glanduligera

Purple Toothwort Brassicaceae

One of those plants that looks perfectly respectable until you notice what it is doing underground, Cardamine glanduligera is a handsome woodland perennial from the mountains of Central and Southeastern Europe. It produces fresh, pinnate foliage and loose clusters of white flowers in spring, followed by slender seed capsules. Like many Cardamine, the young leaves are edible, offering a pleasantly peppery, watercress-like flavour, though this is more useful as a garnish or wild salad ingredient than a serious crop. Best grown in cool, humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil in dappled shade, where it makes an excellent naturalistic woodland plant.

 Height: 30–60cm.

 Spread: 25–40cm.

 Flowers: April–June.

Hardiness: H5, (–15 to –10°C).