Brassica oleracea
Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- BRAS-ih-ka ol-lur-RAY-see-uh
- Description
-
Brassica oleracea is the wild ancestor of many common vegetable crops including kale, collards, broccoli, cauliflower, and kohlrabi. The wild form is edible as well.
VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Edibles, Bulbs, and Houseplants" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
- Acephala Group, Alboglabra Group, Botrytis Group, Capitata Group, Gemmifera Group, Gongylodes Group, Italica Group, Tronchuda Group
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
- Acephala Group, Alboglabra Group, Botrytis Group, Capitata Group, Gemmifera Group, Gongylodes Group, Italica Group, Tronchuda Group
- Tags:
-
-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Brassica
- Species:
- oleracea
- Family:
- Brassicaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Biennial
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- W. Europe
- Distribution:
- Cultivars grown worldwide
- Dimensions:
- Height: 0 ft. 10 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
-
-
Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Edible
- Vegetable
- Habit/Form:
- Erect
-
-
Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
-
-
Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Fruit Type:
- Siliqua
-
-
Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Flower Shape:
- Cross
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
-
-
Leaves:
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Fleshy
- Waxy
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Rosulate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Lobed
- Undulate
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Description:
- Leaves differ in size, shape, and color depending on the cultivar. All, including the wild type, are thick and fleshy with a glaucous coating. Leaf stems alternate in a circle.
-
-
Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Surface:
- Covered with a powdery bloom (glaucous)
-
-
Landscape:
- Landscape Theme:
- Edible Garden
