Horse-radish
Latin name
Armoracia rusticana
Family
Brassicaceae
Flowering season
May to August
English distribution
It is found throughout the country, except for parts of the
North and the far Southwest
See the BSBI distribution map for Horse-radish
Habitat
It is a neophyte which was first grown in English gardens
in the early 1500s and has been naturalised in the wild since the
mid 17th century.
It is naturalised on waste ground and by roads, railways and
rivers.
Description
Horse-radish is a persistent, perennial herb, which forms
extensive, large-leaved colonies. When flowering it grows
up to 1.5m.
The flowers are in sprays on spikes.
Each flower is 8-9mm across, with 4 white petals, 6 stamens
and a disk-shaped, bilobed stigma.
The pods develop into globular fruits.
Horse-radish does not flower every year and the seeds are
sterile in the UK.
The lower leaves are dark green, crinkly, prominently veined
and large (up to 50cm).
Leaves on the flowering stems are narrow and lanceolate.
The plant's large tap root leads to its persistence and root
fragments lead to its spread.
The tap-root is used to make Horse-radish sauce.
There is a 2015 report that extracts from Horse-radish
roots have anti-cancer properties.
Kang-Mo Ku, Elizabeth H. Jeffery, John A. Juvik, Mosbah M.
Kushad.Correlation of Quinone Reductase Activity and
Allyl Isothiocyanate Formation Among Different Genotypes
and Grades of Horseradish Roots. Journal of Agricultural
and Food Chemistry, 2015; 63 (11): 2947 DOI: 10.1021/jf505591z
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Horse-radish in flower
Horse-radish colony (leaves only)
Flower spray
6 stamens,bilobed stigma, nascent pods
Immature pods
Lower leaves
Upper leaves on flower stem