Crops Meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba)

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Common Name	MEADOWFOAM
Latin binomial	Limnanthes alba
Plant family	Limnanthaceae
Names in other languages	limnanthe (F), sumpfblume (D)

Meadowfoam is a member of a small family of plants which are native to West Coast states of the USA. It has potential as a speciality oilseed crop; the seeds contain on average 25-30 percent oil, of which some 95 percent consists of long-chain unsaturated fatty acids. The liquid wax esters which may be produced from the oil have applications in the lubricant and plastics industries and as base oils in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products; demand for these esters is increasing rapidly. Small areas of meadowfoam are currently grown in the USA: plantings in the United Kingdom have so far been restricted to experimental plots and trial areas.

This entry forms part of the publication Crops for Industry and Energy in Europe

References:

Anon (1996a) Developments in Oilseeds: NIAB Sparsholt Conference. Proceedings of a meeting on 8th February 1996 at Sparsholt College, Winchester, Hampshire. Cambridge: NIAB.

Anthony, K R M, Meadley, J & Robellen, G (Eds) (1993) New Crops for Temperate Regions. London: Chapman & Hall

Chisholm, C J (Ed) (1994) Towards a UK Research Strategy for Alternative Crops. Silsoe: Silsoe Research Institute.

Robellen, G, Downey, K R & Ashri, A (Eds) (1989) Oil Crops of the World: their Breeding and Utilisation. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Crop Science. Madison: Crop Science Society of America.

Industrial Crops and Products. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science B V

Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. Champaign: AOCS Press.

Relevant EC funded projects
AGRE-0046