Cleome trachysperma

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Common products:
The species yields a seed oil with high erucic acid content (C22:1), characteristic of family Capparaceae, comparable to industrial rapeseed varieties. Seeds also produce a mucilaginous gum when wet, potentially useful as a thickening agent.

Industrial and craft applications:
Erucic acid-rich seed oil is suitable for industrial lubricants, biodegradable plastics, and surfactants (Cai et al., 2020, Food Chemistry). The gum mucilage shows promise as a natural sizing/thickening agent in textile processing, though large-scale industrial application is unreported.

Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
Seeds are occasionally consumed as a famine food following leaching to reduce bitterness (Moerman, 1998, Native American Ethnobotany), without established commercial food products.

Colorants and tanning:
No documented use.

Wood and fiber:
Not applicable; the plant is herbaceous.

Fragrance and cosmetics:
No documented use beyond potential erucic acid-derived emollients in cosmetic formulations, requiring commercial-scale synthesis from other sources.

Properties relevant to use:
Seed oil exhibits typical fatty acid profile dominated by erucic acid (C22:1 ~40-50%), making it suitable for industrial chemical feedstocks (Cai et al., 2020). Mucilage contains soluble polysaccharides with high molecular weight, imparting water-binding and thickening properties.

Standards and regulation:
As a non-established oilseed crop, production lacks specific crop standards. Oil quality for industrial use would align with general vegetable oil standards (e.g., AOCS methods) for fatty acid profile and free acidity. Food applications are limited due to high erucic acid content concerns.

Sustainability and sourcing:
Cleome trachysperma occurs naturally in North America and is sometimes considered a weed. Cultivation potential remains low compared to established oilseed crops like rapeseed. Wild harvesting poses minimal sustainability risk due to widespread distribution, though commercial-scale sourcing requires dedicated cultivation trials to assess yield and oil quality consistency.

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No germination or propagation data was added yet.

No distribution data was extracted from POWO/KEW yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

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