Short Description
The common cornsalad can grow up to 15 cm tall.
The leaves are oval to elongated. They are arranged in pairs facing each other (opposite).
The angular stem has several forked branches.
The many small flowers are white, pink or purple. They occur in clusters and have five petals.
The fruits are flattened, roundish and short pointed nuts.
Features
Common cornsalad
Valerianella locusta
white, pink or purple flowers
oval to elongated leaves
In the city
Common cornsalad grows in fields and fallow land as well as along roadsides and roadsides. It prefers fresh, sandy to loamy soils.
It is grown as a salad plant.
Fun Facts
The flowering period is from April to May.
In Germany, the common cornsalad has been known since the late Stone Age. However, it has only been used since the 18th century.
It is an annual plant, i.e. it dies after the seeds have ripened.
The nut-like flavour comes from essential oils.
- Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
Common cornsalad is rich in minerals and vitamins. It has the highest vitamin C content of all leaf salads.
Sources
Blütenstand, J.F. Gaffard Jeffdelonge, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Valerianella_lucusta.jpg
Blätter, Till Westermayer, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki-ackersalat.jpg
Blütenstand, AnRo0002, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20170520Valerianella_locusta.jpg
Spohn, M., Golte-Bechtle, M. & Spohn, R. (2015) Was blüht denn da? Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.
Schauer, T., Caspari, C. & Caspari, S. (2015) Der illustrierte BLV-Pflanzenführer für unterwegs. 1150 Blumen, Gräser, Bäume und Sträucher, München: BLV.
Kammer, P. M. (2016) Pflanzen einfach bestimmen. Schritt für Schritt einheimische Arten kennenlernen, Bern: Haupt Verlag.
Seitz, B., Ristow, M., Meißner, J., Machatzi, B. & Sukopp, H. (2018) Rote Liste und Gesamtartenliste der etablierten Farn- und Blütenpflanzen von Berlin. : Der Landesbeauftragte für Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege / Senatsverwaltung für Umwelt, Klima und Verkehr (eds.) Rote Listen der gefährdeten Pflanzen, Pilze und Tiere von Berlin, URL: https://www.berlin.de/sen/uvk/natur-und-gruen/naturschutz/artenschutz/artenlisten-rote-listen/farn-und-bluetenpflanzen/ (Accessed: 26.03.2021).
Bundesamt für Naturschutz (n.d.) Artensteckbriefe, URL: http://floraweb.de/pflanzenarten/artenhome.xsql?suchnr=6194& (Accessed: 18.09.2018).
Page „Gewöhnlicher Feldsalat“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 17.07.2018, 12:06 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gew%C3%B6hnlicher_Feldsalat&oldid=179227629 (Accessed: 18.09.2018).