Lepidium sativum; garden cress; pepper grass

Japanese: コショウソウ(胡椒草) - コショウソウ（英語表記）Lepidium sativum; garden cress; pepper grass

An annual plant of the Brassicaceae family. It grows to a height of about 40 cm, with stems that branch at the base. The leaves are 3-4 cm long. The small, four-petaled white flowers bloom in April-May. It has a spicy taste similar to watercress, and in Europe and the United States it is cultivated as a salad vegetable, and its seeds have also been used to extract edible oil. It is in the same genus as the naturalized plant, shepherd's purse, and was introduced to Japan as a vegetable during the Meiji period. The roots contain a spicy substance, which can be dried and powdered to be used as a substitute for wasabi, called "dried wasabi powder."

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

アブラナ科の一年草。高さ 40cmくらいになり，茎は基部で分枝する。葉は長さ3～4cm。花は小さい4弁の白花で4～5月頃に咲く。オランダガラシのような辛い味があり，欧米ではサラダ用の野菜として栽培し，また種子から食用油をとったこともある。帰化植物のマメグンバイナズナと同属で日本にも明治期に野菜として渡来した。根に辛みのある物質を含んでいるので，これを乾燥粉末とし「乾燥わさび粉」と称するワサビの代用品などとする。

出典　ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典ブリタニカ国際大百科事典小項目事典について　情報

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