Eruca vesicaria - © Charles Hipkin
(L.) Cav.
An annual crucifer which produces creamy-white flowers with conspicuous purple veins, which has become popular in recent decades as a salad herb. However, it has been cultivated in Britain since the Middle Ages, primarily as a medicinal herb and its seeds are reputed to have (unverified) aphrodisiac properties. It is a native of Mediterranean areas and has a thinly scattered distribution throughout Britain and is most common in the south of England. There are much fewer records from Wales and it is rare as a garden escape in West Glamorgan.
Neophyte (and archaeophyte)
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