Crambe cordifolia

Description

Crambe cordifolia, syn. Crambe glabrata DC. (greater sea-kale, colewort, heartleaf crambe) is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to the Caucasus. Growing to 2.5 m (8 ft) tall by 1.5 m (5 ft) broad, it is a substantial clump-forming herbaceous perennial with kidney-shaped dark green leaves, 35 cm (14 in) 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 (cross-shaped) flowers, reaching up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) high and appearing in early summer. Under droughty conditions the foliage depreciates. The plant is tap-rooted and resents disturbance. It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. The Latin specific epithet cordifolia, meaning "heart-shaped", refers to the leaves.