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Brassicaceae FAMILY

Crambe abyssinica

Crambe abyssinica

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitAnnual
Growth—

The plant does best on medium-light to heavy soils that are fertile and well drained, though poor sandy soils may be used if nutrients are provided[1]. Crambe is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation of 35 to 120cm, an average annual temperature range of 5.7 to 16.2°C and a pH in the range of 5.0 to 7.8[1]. A cool season crop, it is well-adapted as a spring crop in wheat-growing areas of the Pacific north-western United States. A spring and fall crop can be grown, e.g. in Indiana. Grown as far south as Venezuela and as far north as Sweden and Leningrad. In the seedling stage, it survives temperatures down to -5°C. It fares poorly where weeds are a problem. Plants are highly sensitive to low temperatures both at sowing and at harvest[2]. Newer cultivars have more tolerance to lower temperatures, with some varieties in Britain having tolerated a few hours with temperatures slightly below freezing without harmful effects upon overall yields[2]. Drought strees during flowering or seed set can reduce yields and lower the oil content of the seeds[2]. Plants take from 83 - 105 days from sowing to harvest[2]. Heavy crops have been produced successfully in Britain, though they have sometimes taken longer to mature in poor seasons[2].

Propagation

Seed - sow early to mid spring in a seedbed outdoors and either thin the plants out or move them to their permanent positions when about 10cm tall[3]. The young plants are very attractive to slugs so some protection will often be needed. Germination can be slow so it is best to sow the seed in pots in a cold frame[4]. Germination usually takes place in 3 - 26 weeks at 15°c[4]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and plant out into their permanent positions when they are at least 10cm tall. Division in spring or autumn[5, 3]. Dig up the root clump and cut off as many sections as you require, making sure they all have at least one growing point. The larger of these divisions can be planted out straight into their permanent positions, though small ones are best potted up and grown on in a cold frame until they are established. Root cuttings, 3 - 10 cm long, in spring[6]. These can be planted straight into the open ground or you can pot them up in the greenhouse and plant them out once they are growing strongly. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Crambe+abyssinica>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Handbook of Energy Crops — Duke. J. · - · 1983 · https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy/dukeindex.html · ISBN - ↩︎Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of both temperate and tropical plants.
  2. [2]The National Non-Food Crops Centre Crop Database — http://www.nnfcc.co.uk/crops/pd.cfm ↩︎An excellent on-line information source, with information on over 100 species (as of 2006) of plants being investigated as bio-crops.
  3. [3]Popular Hardy Perennials. — Sanders. T. W. · Collingridge · 1926 · ISBN - ↩︎A fairly wide range of perennial plants that can be grown in Britain and how to grow them.
  4. [4]Growing from Seed. Volume 4. — Bird. R. (Editor) · Thompson and Morgan. · 1990 · ISBN - ↩︎Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Yuccas, one on Sagebrush (Artemesia spp) and another on Chaerophyllum bulbosum.
  5. [5]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  6. [6]The Garden. Volume 111. — RHS. · Royal Horticultural Society · 1986 · ISBN - ↩︎Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS, including an article on Crambe maritima and another on several species thought to be tender that are succeeding in a S. Devon garden.
  7. [7]Wonder Crops. 1987. — Natural Food Institute, ↩︎Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.