 The flowers are edible and purportedly have a sweet-acid taste.The species was first described by Linnaeus in 1753 and he gave it the specific epithet of "siliquastrum" which is derived from the Latin word "siliqua", meaning "pod".The generic name comes from the Greek "kerkis", a "shuttle", which refers to the resemblance shown to this weaver's tool by the flat, woody seedpods.