Garden nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

Garden nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) is a species of plant in the Tropaeolaceae, herbaceous, short and branched roots, creeping and fragile stems, pale green or reddish in color, glabrous, succulent, soft and winding.

T. majus has green or greyish green leaves, stems 5-30 cm long and peltate. The leaves are 4-15 cm wide, orbicular in shape with flat, wavy or slightly lobed edges, glabrous and have many radial veins.

Hermaphroditic flowers, resembling small trumpets, 2.5-7 cm wide, yellow or orange or red, 5 sepals 1-2 cm long fused at the base. One of the nectar-bearing sepals is 2.5-4 cm long, straight or slightly curved. Flowers have 8 stamens and an ovary on top with a style and stigma.

The fruit of the schizocarp divides into three wrinkled pepperrps, each carpel with one large seed, ovoid with a prominent longitudinal ridge, pale green in color and turning pale brown when ripe.

This species grows in coastal and disturbed areas especially, scrub land, herbaceous fields, wetlands, river banks, urban bush land, roadsides, railway tracks, elevations up to 3000 meters, in full sun or partial shade, not tolerant against drought.

This plant contains carotenoids (violaxanthin, antheraxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, zeinoxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, α-carotene, β-carotene), beta carotene, glycosides, flavonoids (quersetin, isoquercetin, quercetin 3-glucoside, myricetin, kaempferol, pelargonidin, delphinidin, cyanidin, derivatives of hydroxycinnamic acid), polyphenols, glucosinolates (benzyl glucosinolate (glucotropaeolin), sinalbin), fatty acids (erucic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid).

This plant has antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, depurative, diuretic, emmenagogue, expectorant, aphrodisiac, sedative, stimulant, antibacterial and antiviral, antibiotic, anticancer, antiseptic and antiscorbutic activities.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Brassicales
Family: Tropaeolaceae
Genus: Tropaeolum
Species: Tropaeolum majus

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