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Article: Country & Garden: An annual question of taste Nasturtiums look wonderful in summer and are good to eat, so why should they be difficult to love, asks Ursula Buchan
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- May 26, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2001 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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EVERYONE KNOWS Tropaeolum majus, although no one calls it that.
The common name is "nasturtium", a corruption of a Latin phrase
meaning "having a pungent taste", and it has been a colourful feature
of cottage gardens for centuries, since its introduction from South
America at the end of the 16th century. The popularity of nasturtiums
has been due to their ease of cultivation, the fact that the petals,
seeds, buds and leaves are edible (if peppery, especially when eaten
uncooked), and the flowering is bright and long-lasting. Long ago,
they were also considered interesting curiosities, because it was
thought that the leaves and flowers gave off sparks of electricity.