The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

cabbage

black mustard

Habit Plants biennial or perennial, glabrous, glaucous. Plants annual, hirsute at least basally.
Stems

(3)6–15(3) dm.

3–20(31) dm.

Basal leaves

and lowermost cauline to 40 × 15 cm;

margins entire, dentate, or pinnately lobed; terminal lobes larger than 1–13 lateral lobes on each side, petiolate.

and lowermost cauline 6–30 × 1–10 cm;

margins lyrate-pinnatifid to pinnatisect; terminal lobes larger than 1–3 lateral lobes on each side, petiolate.

Inflorescences

fruiting pedicels ascending to divaricate; (8)14–25(40) mm.

fruiting pedicels straight; slender; erect to ascending, subappressed to rachis; (2)3–5(6) mm.

Flowers

sepals oblong, 8–15 mm; erect;

petals ovate to elliptic; (15)18–25(30) × (6)8–12 mm, yellow or white;

claws 7–15 mm;

filaments 8–12 mm; erect at base;

styles obsolete.

sepals oblong, 4–6(7) mm, spreading to ascending;

petals ovate; (6)7.5–11(13) × (2.5)3–4.5(5.5) mm, yellow;

claws 3–6 mm;

filaments 3.5–5 mm;

lateral curved at base.

Fruits

divaricate to ascending; terete; (2.5)4–8(10) cm × (2.5)3–4(5) mm, valvular segments (2)3–7.5(9) cm, 10–20-seeded per locule;

valves with prominent midveins; terminal segment conical; (3)4–10 mm; seedless or 1(2)-seeded.

4-angled, subappressed to rachis; (0.5)1–2.5(2.7) cm × (1.5)2–3(4) mm, valvular segments (0.4)0.8–2(2.5) cm, 2–5(8)-seeded per locule;

valves with prominent midveins, slightly torulose; terminal segments style-like; (1)2–5(6) mm; seedless, sessile.

Seeds

1.5–2.5 mm in diameter.

globose, 1.2–2 mm in diameter.

Upper cauline leaves

oblanceolate; ovate; to oblong; to 10 × 4 cm, bases amplexicaul, auriculate, or not, sessile.

lanceolate to linear-oblong; to 5 × 1.5 cm, bases not auriculate, petiolate.

2n

=18.

=16.

Brassica oleracea

Brassica nigra

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Gardens, abandoned fields, waste places, coastal bluffs. Flowering May–Aug. 0–300 m. Est, WV. CA, WA; eastern North America; Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe. Exotic.

Brassica oleracea has been cultivated since ancient times, and many common vegetables have been cultivated from this species, including broccoli (var. italica), Brussels sprouts (var. gemmifera), cabbage (var. capitata), cauliflower (var. botrytis), collard greens (var. viridis), kale (var. sabellica), and kohlrabi (var. gongylodes).

Roadsides, disturbed areas, fields, orchards. Flowering Apr–Oct. 0–1000 m. Col, CR, Lava, Owy, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; worldwide. Exotic.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 459
Ihsan Al-Shehbaz
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 459
Ihsan Al-Shehbaz
Sibling taxa
B. elongata, B. juncea, B. napus, B. nigra, B. rapa
B. elongata, B. juncea, B. napus, B. oleracea, B. rapa
Web links