Bittercress

There is the Common Bittercress and the Greater Bittercress in our garden. They belong to the Brassicaceae family and this morning with the temperature up at 12-17C it was relatively warm to look around the garden. Speaking to a young horticultural student yesterday and my saying how many snails I found on the daffidols she added that we would have a lot more weeds as temperatures have been mild through our winter here in the South of the UK.

Looking in the beds and path our garden has a lot of weeds including Bittercress. The plant manages two flowerings with plenty of seeds. Have a look at the one I brought in to photograph.

Notice the small white four petal flowers. The Greater Bittercress has purple/violet anthers. The seedpods are long and the seeds ‘ping’ out. Some call this pingweed. Once you have it you will find it difficult to get rid of.

On the left in a smaller jar is Common bittercress and on the right Greater bittercress. Both thrive here and throughout the world. The Greater grows from 30-50 cm.

The rosette of leaves with each leaflet arranged opposite each other down both sides with a hairy stem this is the common bittercress and is less than 30cm tall.

Let us travel with these two words common and greatest.

Here are some sayings with common:

‘ Common sense is not so common.’ Booker Washington

But this saying has ancient roots it was said like this by the Roman Satirist, Juvenal in 130 AD:

‘ Common sense is generally rear.’

Then George Bernard Shaw gave a humorous variation:

‘ Common sense is not a gift, its a punishment – because you have to deal with everyone who doesn’t have it.’

Bittercress in flower.

Then Jesus talks about the greatest in this way:

‘ Except you become as a little child in your conversion you won’t enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself as a little child the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receive one such little child receives Me. Whosoever offends one of these little ones it would be better they were drowned with a mill stone… Do not hate little ones because in heaven their angels see the face of my Father.’

Matthew 18: 3 -5, 10.

Take care,

Sandy 🙂