Field Penny Cress (Thlaspi arvense) Pennycress Medicinal Decorative Dried Wildflower

Cress Field Penny Cress (Thlaspi arvense) Pennycress Medicinal Wildflower

Annual

Height up to 30 in

Pennycress is highly decorative and used by florists with flair! Pennycress seeds can be direct seeded in the fall to bloom and make seed heads in late spring; those that germinate in the fall will produce a rosette of leaves up to 6 in across at the start and will overwinter then resume growth in the spring.

Seeds may also germinate in the spring or summer, but these generally do not form a rosette, and develop only blooming stems that hold distinctive ornamental seed pods that are highly decorative. 

• Pennycress produces white flowers with 4 petals arranged in a cross shape about 1/8 in across when open. These tiny flowers are followed by distinctive and flattened oval seed pods up to 1/2 inch long with 2 cells containing 3-8 seeds giving the stem a bottle brush appearance and make great ornamental accents in fresh and dried flower arrangements
• Leaves are lance shaped and coarsely toothed about 2-4 in long
• Each plant up to 15,000 seeds that remain viable in the soil for up to 20 years under ideal conditions.
• light and scarification of the seeds improves germination
• Can be invasive but easily controlled by hand pulling unwanted seedlings.
• related to garden crops such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and kale and is in the mustard family
• entire plant used as anti inflammatory and blood purifier and was used by the Iroquois medicinally for sore throats; also used in Illinois as test material for use as biofuel
• great for containers and borders
• cottage garden 
• Seed count:  30