Rocky Mountain Beeplant (Cleome serrulata)

Family: Capparidaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Cleome serrulata is a ANNUAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 4 and is frost tender. It is in flower from July to August. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Nuts/Seeds, Leaves, Flowers

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring

Flavor & Culinary Uses

taste, were eaten with cornmeal porridge. — Young shoots, leaves and flowers are cooked and used as potherbs.; The plants were gathered and, after removing an alkaline taste, were eaten with cornmeal porridge.; The plant smells like a skunk, but it was an important potherb for the native North American Indians and the early European settlers in America.; Seed - raw or cooked.

Habitat & North American Range

Waste land, plains and lower mountains, often on sandy soils. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8, Zone 9, Zone 10)