In 'Rapunzel', what plant does the mother crave?

In “Rapunzel,” the mother craves rapunzel, a leafy plant growing in the sorceress’s garden.

The pregnant woman sees the plant from her home and becomes so desperate to eat it that she begins to waste away. Her husband climbs the garden wall to steal some, but the sorceress catches him. She allows him to take as much as he wants only if the couple gives her their unborn child. After the baby is born, the sorceress names her Rapunzel after the plant.

The plant is not always identified in exactly the same way. English references commonly connect “rapunzel” with rampion or cornsalad, both edible leafy plants. The name also explains why some versions translate or adapt the story differently. In the Italian predecessor “Petrosinella,” for example, the desired plant is parsley, which can cause confusion with the Grimm version.

The Brothers Grimm published their version in 1812 as part of “Children’s and Household Tales.” The plant’s name is therefore both the answer to the question and the origin of the heroine’s name.