Brassica tournefortii |
Brassica oleracea |
|
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African mustard, Asian mustard, mustard, sahara mustard |
broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cultivated cabbage, kale, wild cabbage |
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Habit | Annuals; densely hirsute proximally, glabrescent distally. | Biennials or perennials; (with slender taproot or woody caudex, becoming suffrutescent and covered with conspicuous leaf scars); (glaucous), glabrous. |
Stems | usually branched basally, (widely) branched distally, (1–)3–7(–10) dm. |
branched distally, 5–10 dm. |
Basal leaves | (rosettes persistent); petiole (broad) 2–10 cm; blade lyrate to pinnatisect, 2–30 cm × 10–50(–100) mm, (margins serrate-dentate), 4–10 lobes each side. |
petiole to 30 cm; blade oblong or obovate, to 45 cm × 150 mm, (fleshy), blades pinnatifid or margins dentate. |
Cauline leaves | sessile; blade (reduced in size distally, distalmost bractlike), base tapered, not auriculate or amplexicaul. |
(distal) sessile; blade (oblong to lanceolate), base auriculate and amplexicaul, (margins entire). |
Racemes | not paniculately branched. |
not paniculately branched. |
Flowers | sepals 5–4.5 × 1–1.5 mm; petals pale yellow, fading or, sometimes, white, oblanceolate, 4–7 × 1.5–2(–2.5) mm, claw 1–3 mm, apex rounded; filaments 2.5–4 mm; anthers 1–1.3 mm; gynophore to 1 mm. |
sepals 8–15 × 1.5–2.7 mm; petals yellow, white, or lemon yellow, ovate or elliptic, (15–)18–25(–30) × (6–)8–12 mm, claw 7–15 mm, apex rounded; filaments 8–12 mm; anthers 2.5–4 mm. |
Fruiting pedicels | widely spreading, 8–15 mm. |
spreading to ascending, (8–)14–25(–40) mm. |
Fruits | (shortly stipitate); widely spreading to ascending (not appressed to rachis), torulose, cylindric, 3–7 cm × 2–4(–5) mm; valvular segment with 6–12(–15) seeds per locule, 2.2–5 cm, terminal segment 1(–3)-seeded, (cylindric, stout), 10–20 mm. |
spreading to ascending, smooth, ± 4-angled or subterete, (2.5–)5–8(–10) cm × (2.5–)3–4(–5) mm; valvular segment with 10–20 seeds per locule, (2–)3–7.5(–9) cm, terminal segment usually seedless, rarely 1 or 2-seeded, (conic), (3–)4–10 mm. |
Seeds | light reddish brown or black, 1–1.2 mm diam.; seed coat prominently reticulate, mucilaginous when wetted. |
brown, 1.7–2.5 mm diam.; seed coat reticulate, not mucilaginous when wetted. |
2n | = 20. |
= 18. |
Brassica tournefortii |
Brassica oleracea |
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Phenology | Flowering Feb–Apr. | Flowering May–Aug. |
Habitat | Roadsides, waste places, old fields, washes, open desert areas intermixed with desert shrubs | Maritime slopes or sea-facing cliffs, weedy escape, gardens, abandoned fields, waste places |
Elevation | 0-800 m (0-2600 ft) | 0-100 m (0-300 ft) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; NV; TX; UT; Europe; Asia; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in nw Mexico, Australia]
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CA; CT; IA; IL; KY; MA; NY; OH; PA; RI; TX; VT; NL; ON; PE; QC; Europe; Asia; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Australia]
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Discussion | Brassica tournefortii was first reported from California (Imperial, Riverside, and western San Bernardino counties) by W. L. Jepson ([1923–1925]), with the first collections appearing from southern California in 1941 (R. C. Rollins and I. A. Al-Shehbaz 1986), Arizona in 1959 (T. H. Kearney and R. H. Peebles 1960), Nevada in 1977, and Texas in 1978 (D. E. Lemke and R. D. Worthington 1991). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Brassica oleracea is widely cultivated worldwide as a vegetable crop, and its various forms are generally recognized as varieties instead of subspecies; these include var. acephala de Candolle (kale and collards), var. botrytis Linnaeus (cauliflower), var. capitata Linnaeus (cabbage), var. gemmifera Zenk (Brussels sprouts), var. gongylodes Linnaeus (kohlrabi), and var. italica Plenk (broccoli). It also occurs sporadically as a weedy escape from cultivation and seems unlikely to persist for long periods of time. It is reported to be naturalized on coastal cliffs (maritime slopes) in the northern Central Coastal Region and the central and southern North Coastal Region in California (Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties) (J. T. Howell et al. 1958; Howell 1970; H. G. Baker 1972; R. C. Rollins 1993b). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 7, p. 424. | FNA vol. 7, p. 423. |
Parent taxa | Brassicaceae > tribe Brassiceae > Brassica | Brassicaceae > tribe Brassiceae > Brassica |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | B. alboglabra | |
Name authority | Gouan: Ill. Observ. Bot., 44, plate 20A. (1773) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 667. (1753) |
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