Limnanthes alba

Taxobox | name = Meadowfoam
regnum = Plantae
unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
unranked_classis = Eudicots
unranked_ordo = Rosids
ordo = Brassicales
familia = Limnanthaceae
genus = "Limnanthes"
species = "L. alba"
binomial = "Limnanthes alba"
binomial_authority = Benth.

Meadowfoam ("Limnanthes alba") is a low growing herbaceous winter annual that is adapted to poorly drained soils. It is the source of meadowfoam seed oil that is very similar to whale oil, derived from sperm whales. The oil from meadowfoam seeds has unique chemical properties that make it one of the most stable vegetable oils known. Meadowfoam is very susceptible to the "Botrytis cinerea" fungus; commercial crops were devastated during the 1982–1984 growing seasons.

External links

* [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/meadowfoam.html Alternative Field Crops Manual: Meadowfoam]