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nasturtium

 
Dictionary: nas·tur·tium   (nə-stûr'shəm, nă-) pronunciation
 
n.
  1. Any of various New World plants of the genus Tropaeolum, having pungent juice and long-spurred, usually yellow, orange, or red irregular flowers.
  2. A brilliant orange yellow.

[Middle English nasturcium, a kind of cress, from Latin nasturtium : perhaps nāsus, nose + *tortāre, frequentative of torquēre, to twist (from its pungent smell).]


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Food and Nutrition: nasturtium
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Both the leaves and seeds of Tropaeolum officinalis can be eaten; they have a hot flavour. The seeds can be pickled as a substitute for capers, and the flowers can be used to decorate salads.

 
Food Lover's Companion: nasturtium
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[nuh-STER-shuhm] All parts of this beautiful plant are eaten except the roots. Young leaves and stems add a peppery accent to salads and sandwiches, or be can used in dishes as a watercress substitute. The flower blossoms may be minced and used to flavor butter, cream cheese or vinegar, and the whole flowers are colorful and delicious in salads or as a garnish. Nasturtium seeds and immature flower buds can be pickled and used like capers. See also flowers, edible.

 

Common nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus).
(click to enlarge)
Common nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus). (credit: Derek Fell)
Any of various annual plants of the genus Tropaeolum (family Tropaeolaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America, and cultivated elsewhere as garden plants. Brilliant yellow, orange, or red flowers are funnel-shaped and have a long spur that contains sweet nectar. The peppery-tasting leaves and flowers are sometimes used in salads, and the young flower buds and fruit are sometimes used as seasoning. Nasturtium also is a genus of aquatic herbs in the mustard family (see watercress).

For more information on nasturtium, visit Britannica.com.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: nasturtium
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nasturtium (năstûr'shəm) , any plant of the genus Tropaeolum, tropical American herbs (usually climbing) native to mountainous areas of South and Central America. Several species are cultivated in the United States as ornamentals for their yellow or red flowers, e.g., the common nasturtiums (T. majus and T. minus) and the canary-bird flower (T. peregrinum). These species have been hybridized. The plants are sometimes used for food, i.e., the tuberous rooted T. tuberosum or añu of the high Andes, the seeds (pickled as capers), and the tart flowers and leaves (used in salads). Properly, Nasturtium is the botanical name for the water cresses, an unrelated genus of the family Cruciferae (mustard family). Nasturtiums are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Geraniales, family Tropaeolaceae.


 
Translations: Nasturtium
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - nasturtium

Nederlands (Dutch)
waterkers, Oost-Indische kers

Français (French)
n. - capucine

Deutsch (German)
n. - (bot.) Kapuzinerkresse, Brunnenkresse

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (φυτολ.) νεροκάρδαμο, ναστούρτιον

Italiano (Italian)
nasturzio

Português (Portuguese)
n. - nastúrcio (m) (Bot.)

Русский (Russian)
настурция

Español (Spanish)
n. - capuchina, nastuerzo, berro

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - (indian)krasse

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
水田芥, 旱金莲

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 水田芥, 旱金蓮

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 금련화

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - キンレンカ, 金蓮花, ノウゼンハレン

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) او خنجر : نوع نبات‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮כובע הנזיר (פרח)‬


 
Best of the Web: nasturtium
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Some good "nasturtium" pages on the web:


Gardening
hcs.osu.edu
 
 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Food and Nutrition. A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Copyright © 1995, 2003, 2005 by A. E. Bender and D. A. Bender. All rights reserved.  Read more
Food Lover's Companion. Food Lover's Companion. Copyright © 2001 by Barron's Educational Series, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more