Wasabia japonica Seeds | Wasabi
LATIN NAME: Wasabia japonica
COMMON NAME: Wasabi
Plant Profile
Wasabia japonica, better known as Wasabi, is a hardy perennial in the cabbage family. Wasabi holds its large, rounded, glossy, long-stalked leaves and small, white, four-petalled flowers, and the whole plant stands in the low, bold clumps. It is a plant of open, shady, deep, moist, cool, well-drained ground. It is the sort of plant that quietly justifies the space it occupies.
Science & Biotechnology
The species features in the wider study of the cabbage family, and its traits make it a useful subject for work on germination biology, cultivation and ornamental selection. In the laboratory and trial ground alike, it serves as workable material for propagation research and line selection.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Wasabi for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Wasabi is a fine, bold plant of cool garden and study collection. Give young plants cool, moist bed, and bold leaves will rise over the years. Thereafter it wants only the ordinary attentions any garden plant receives.
True wasabi is a rare streamside crop whose fresh rhizome carries the isothiocyanates studied for antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects; the green paste of most restaurants is horseradish in disguise, which makes genuine wasabi a treasure.
Growing from Seed
Wasabi grows readily from seed. A simple routine works well: sow evenly over the surface and cover lightly in a loose, well-drained seed compost, maintain even moisture, and provide bright light. When the young plants are big enough to handle, space them into pots or a nursery row and let them size up before their final move.
Our Take
It grows as a hardy perennial, so its place in the garden is easy to plan. Given the right start, Wasabi is a long-term garden companion. In a sunny, freely drained position it needs little looking after.
Related Reading
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