Pollinator plant

Cress

Lepidium sativum

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Common names

31 names · 23 languages
EnglishYour language
Other languages (22)
Dutch
French
Arabic
  • رشاد مزروع[2]
Chinese (Simplified)
  • 家独行菜[2]
Chinese (Traditional)
  • 家獨行菜[2]
Czech
  • řeřicha setá[2]
Finnish
  • vihanneskrassi[2]
German
Hebrew
  • שחליים תרבותיים[2]
Hungarian
  • Kerti zsázsa[2]
Italian
Japanese
  • コショウソウ[2]
Kannada
Norwegian
Polish
  • pieprzyca siewna[2]
Portuguese
Russian
  • Клоповник посевной[2]
  • кресс-салат[2]
Slovak
  • žerucha siata[2]
Slovenian
  • vrtna kreša[2]
Swedish
  • kryddkrasse[2]
  • kryddkrassing[2]
  • smörgåskrasse[2]
+1 more nameShow fewer names
  • trädgårdskrasse[2]
Turkish
Ukrainian
  • Хрінниця сійна, крес-салат[2]
Sources & name notes (2)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Catalogue language labels are reviewed separately from botanical source records.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Lepidium sativum — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy. This is a common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • Cress — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Tuinkers — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Cresson alénois — results[0].names[29]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Gartenkresse — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Garden Cress — results[0].names[2]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Passerage cressonnette — results[0].names[28]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Passerage cultivée — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • crescione inglese — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Mastruço-ordinário — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
[2] Lepidium sativum — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • Cress — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Tuinkers — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Cresson alénois — results[0].names[29]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Gartenkresse — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Garden Cress — results[0].names[2]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Passerage cressonnette — results[0].names[28]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Passerage cultivée — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • crescione inglese — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Mastruço-ordinário — results[0].names[3]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • alavibija — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • שחליים תרבותיים — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • řeřicha setá — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • matkarse — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • vihanneskrassi — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • رشاد مزروع — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • コショウソウ — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • smörgåskrasse — results[0].names[14]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • kryddkrassing — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • kryddkrasse — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • trädgårdskrasse — results[0].names[17]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Клоповник посевной — results[0].names[18]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • tere — results[0].names[20]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • 家独行菜 — results[0].names[22]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Хрінниця сійна, крес-салат — results[0].names[23]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • pieprzyca siewna — results[0].names[24]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • кресс-салат — results[0].names[25]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • 家獨行菜 — results[0].names[26]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • Kerti zsázsa — results[0].names[27]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • vrtna kreša — results[0].names[30]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
  • žerucha siata — results[0].names[31]; taxon id 164527; Lepidium sativum.
Plant references

Source-backed information

Published observations for this plant. Each reference supports the information beside it.

Taxonomy
Lepidium sativum is an accepted species in Catalogue of Life.

Taxonomic treatment in the August 2026 release; the catalogue record name is preserved.

Sources [1]
Botanical family
Brassicaceae

Family in the cited taxonomic treatment.

Sources [1]
Native range
Europe to C. Asia and Himalaya, Arabian Pen.

Explicit native locality records in Kew WCVP v16; introduced and doubtful distributions excluded. Continent conversion follows the documented geographic mapping.

Sources [2]
Catalogue ratings

Who this plant supports

Honey bees

Low suitability
Nectar value Low
Pollen value Low
Agroforestry database

Complete plant information

Open full plant profile

Structure

Vegetation layer
Herbaceous
Size
Small
Dimensions
0.50 m high × 0.00 m wide
Lifecycle
Annual

Site conditions

USDA hardiness
6-9
Moisture
Moist
Soil
Sandy, Loamy, Clay
pH
Acid, Neutral, Alkaline
Light
Sun, Partial shade

Uses

Edible parts
Leaves, Oil, Seasoning
Functions
Oil
Edibility
3 out of 5
Medicinal value
0 out of 5

Young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked. They have a spicy flavor, similar to watercress, and are a great addition to salads in small quantities. The roots of this plant are used as a spice and have a sharp taste, but they are quite small and have a woody texture. Fresh or dried seed pods can serve as a sharp flavoring. The seeds can be sprouted by giving them little light until the shoots are a few centimeters long, after which they can be added to salads. The sprouting process takes about 7 days, and the shoots have a pleasantly spicy flavor. Edible oil can be obtained from the seeds.

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. Catalogue of Life Lepidium sativum — Catalogue of Life COL26.8

    COL26.8 (2026-08-20). Contributing checklist: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World. This is taxonomic evidence, not an independent ecological study.

    Supports: TaxonomyBotanical family
    Relevant sections
    • Taxonomy: NameUsage.tsv line 2280051; ID 6PBBR; rank species; status accepted
    • Botanical family: NameUsage.tsv line 2280051; ID 6PBBR; rank species; status accepted

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 4.0.

  2. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Lepidium sativum — Kew WCVP native distribution

    Native distribution and taxonomic treatment from the official WCVP v16 export (4 June 2026). The link opens the corresponding POWO taxon. Source rows are retained in the native-range audit archive.

    Supports: Native range
    Relevant sections
    • Native range: WCVP v16; wcvp_names.csv lines 494322; wcvp_distribution.csv native locality lines 758197, 758198, 758199, 758201, 758202, 758203, 758204, 758205, 758206, 758207, 758208, 758209, 758210, 758211, 758212, 758213, 758214, 758215, 758217, 758218, 758219, 758220, 758221, 758222, 758224, 758247, 758248, 758251, 758254, 758255, 758256, 758257, 758258, 758259, 758260, 758261, 758262, 758263, 758264, 758276, 758277, 758279

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.