Oilseed rape Brassica napus (Oleifera Group)
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- BRAS-sick-ah NAY-pus oh-lay-IF-er-rah Group
- Description
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Rapeseed is an annual to biannual grown for forage for livestock feed and as a source of rapeseed oil for use as an illuminant, lubricant and for making soaps. It is a commercially grown plant and is the 3rd largest source of vegetable oil in the world but can escape into the wild and become weedy. The genus name Brassica is Latin for cabbage.
This plant prefers moist, fertile, well-drained soils in full sun. Not generally grown in the home garden.
Potential Problems: powdery mildew, clubroot, anthracnose, root-knot and leaf spot. Insect problems can include aphids, cutworms, loopers, flea beetles, root maggots and wireworms.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Brassica
- Species:
- napus
- Family:
- Brassicaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- Used in herbal medicine
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Perennial
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Seed
- Wildlife Value:
- Bees are attracted to the flowers
- Edibility:
- The young leaves are edible raw or cooked
- Dimensions:
- Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 4 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Annual
- Vegetable
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- High Organic Matter
- Loam (Silt)
- Soil pH:
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Moist
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Fruit:
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Siliqua
- Fruit Description:
- sickle-shaped seed pods that dry and split when ripe.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Raceme
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Fall
- Spring
- Summer
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- 1/2 inch yellow flowers with 4 petals and alternating sepals in racemes. Blooms May to Sept. if seeds were sown the fall before.
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Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Smooth
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Shape:
- Lanceolate
- Pinnatifid
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- Yes
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves are glaucous, the lower ones lyrate-pinnatifid or lobed, with petioles 4-10 inches long, glabrous or with a few bristly hairs. The upper stem leaves are lanceolate, sessile, clasping and more or less entire. Leaves are up to 20 inches long.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Erect branched stems are green with purple toward the base
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Naturalized Area
