Why 'Good Weed' Pennycress Isn't As Good For Your Garden As You Suppose

In case you’re pondering {that a} area of alpine pennycress is simply what the physician ordered to wash up your deserted mineshaft, there are a number of gotchas. First and most significantly, the analysis signifies that whereas the number of pennycress that is native to southern France (T. caerulescens) can clear up a number of heavy metals, the range that grows within the U.S. (T. montanum) solely removes vital quantities of nickel. And that is good as a result of excessive ranges of nickel may be disastrous for plant populations, most of which may’t tolerate it. It is dangerous for folks, as nicely. The difficulty is that each of those varieties are known as alpine pennycress, which has led some to mistakenly declare the alpine pennycress on the fringe of your lot can do the issues solely the European alpine pennycress can truly do.

Scientists and grasp gardeners use binomial nomenclature –- these unpronounceable two-word scientific names –- for crops, bugs, and different residing issues simply to keep away from issues like this. And even that system is fraught with issues. Actually, T. caerulescens has no less than 16 completely different scientific names. However no less than we may be moderately positive T. caerulescens is one plant and T. montanum is one other totally, a bonus we do not get from calling each “alpine pennycress.”