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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Nasturtium \Nas*tur"tium\, noun [L. nasturtium, for nasitortium, fr. nasus nose + torquere, tortum, to twist, torture, in allusion to the causing one to make a wry face by its pungent taste. See {Nose} of the face, and {Torture}.]
1. (Bot.) A genus of cruciferous plants, having white or yellowish flowers, including several species of cress. They are found chiefly in wet or damp grounds, and have a pungent biting taste.
2. (Bot.) Any plant of the genus {Trop[ae]olum}, geraniaceous herbs, having mostly climbing stems, peltate leaves, and spurred flowers, and including the common Indian cress ({Trop[ae]olum majus}), the canary-bird flower ({Trop[ae]olum peregrinum}), and about thirty more species, all natives of South America. The whole plant has a warm pungent flavor, and the fleshy fruits are used as a substitute for capers, while the leaves and flowers are sometimes used in salads.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
nasturtium
noun
1: any tropical American plant of the genus Tropaeolum having pungent juice and long-spurred yellow to red flowers
2: aquatic herbs [syn: {genus Nasturtium}]
3: flowers and seeds and leaves all used as flavorings
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