Crambe cordifolia

Crambe cordifolia, the greater sea-kale, colewort or heartleaf crambe, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to the Caucasus. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Epithet

The Latin specific epithet cordifolia, meaning "heart-shaped", refers to the leaves.

Description

Growing to tall by broad, it is a substantial clump-forming herbaceous perennial with kidney-shaped dark green leaves, or more in length, which die down in mid- to late summer. It is cultivated in gardens for its broad crinkled foliage and spectacular multi-branched inflorescences of many small fragrant white, cruciform flowers, reaching up to high and appearing in early summer. Under droughty conditions the foliage depreciates. The plant is tap-rooted and resents disturbance.