I.D of crop

[wildherbalian85]

Of late i have been in the countryside and have noticed that most farmers are growing this strange crop that i can not I.D.

Basicaly the plant grows to about 5ft and is very branchy but it has no foilage, instead it has 100's of these pod things that at first i thought might be some kind of pea but the contents of the pod is tiny. It would seem that the fields of this crop must be left to dry.

DOes anybody have any idea's as to what it could be???

[JennyS]

Sounds like Rapeseed

[NickCantle]

I've been racking my brains and Jenny's on the ball Yes, sounds like Rapeseed- small green pods on quite slender stems. Perhaps averaging 4ft ish? It's growing all around here

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by JennyS

Sounds like Rapeseed

But is that not yellow?? and also found with foliage?

[NickCantle]

Not when it's not in flower. The Rapeseed in the field next to our house was flowering about a month ago, but it's all stringy and 'poddy' now

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by NickCantle

I've been racking my brains and Jenny's on the ball Yes, sounds like Rapeseed- small green pods on quite slender stems. Perhaps averaging 4ft ish? It's growing all around here

I think she is right there though some of the crops round here are 5 foot infact in one or two areas they go above my head hight.

After rape seed was sudjested i googled it and all i got was pictures of yellow leafy plant's So i typed mature rape seed and finaly spotted a picture with a crop that looks just like the ones im talking about.

Thanks Jenny and Nick.

[RobSutton]

I think they often spray it with a herbicide and then leave it standing to dry before harvesting - that might explain why it apparently has no foliage.

[NickCantle]

That'd explain it too Rob

[wildherbalian85]

Originally Posted by NickCantle

Not when it's not in flower. The Rapeseed in the field next to our house was flowering about a month ago, but it's all stringy and 'poddy' now

If before today you had asked me to describe rapeseed then i would have said yellow flowered mustard like plant

Yet all this time i have been walking through these fields of this "strange looking" crop and wondering what the hell it is and is it edible, all along it was rapeseed

[NickCantle]

A couple of months or so, I was in the same state of mind We live and learn