Day 351 - Jack by the hedge

I know this plant as Jack by the hedge, a name that it gained as it is often seen growing in hedge margins,  but it has quite a few names including garlic mustard, penny hedge, poor man's mustard and hedge garlic.  The scientific name is Alliaria petiolata and it's a member of the cabbage family.

Jack by the hedge is a fairly common plant found in hedges, woodland edges and along country lanes. The chopped leaves can be used as an addition to salads or in sauces. It can also be used to make pesto. I've never eaten it, but the taste is said to resemble a mixture of garlic and weak mustard.

The plant was used medicinally in the past - as an antiseptic, as a poultice to treat cuts and ulcers and it was also used to treat bronchial complaints, asthma and worms.