Wild radish

Raphanus raphanistrum

Family · Brassicaceae · Harmless

Edible

The white and pale yellow that cover cereal fields in spring. It is a radish relative and tastes like one: the young leaf has the same mild bite.

Where it grows

Fields and pasture · Roadsides and waste ground · Town and roadside

Also known as

white charlock, jointed charlock

In flower

How to tell it

Four petals in a cross, white or pale yellow, often with purple veins. The pod is the tell: narrow and constricted between the seeds, like a string of beads.

What it is confused with

Charlock

Sinapis arvensis

Harmless confusion

Very similar and both edible. Charlock has a brighter yellow flower and a smooth pod; wild radish has a constricted pod. The mistake has no consequence.

What it is for

Young leaves eaten cooked across the Peninsula, and the flowers in salad. The whole European crucifer family is safe, which makes it a good group for beginners.

Traditionally used as food. This is not permission to eat it.

Sources

Flora-On