Brassicas

''Brassica'' () is a genus of plants in the cabbage and mustard family (Brassicaceae). The members of the genus are informally known as cruciferous vegetables, cabbages, mustard plants, or simply brassicas. Crops from this genus are sometimes called ''cole crops''derived from the Latin ''caulis'', denoting the stem or stalk of a plant.

The genus ''Brassica'' is known for its important agricultural and horticultural crops and also includes a number of weeds, both of wild taxa and escapees from cultivation. ''Brassica'' species and varieties commonly used for food include bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, choy sum, kohlrabi, napa cabbage, rutabaga, turnip and some seeds used in the production of canola oil and the condiment mustard. Over 30 wild species and hybrids are in cultivation, plus numerous cultivars and hybrids of cultivated origin. Most are seasonal plants ( annuals or biennials), but some are small shrubs. ''Brassica'' plants have been the subject of much scientific interest for their agricultural importance. Six particular species ('' B. carinata'', '' B. juncea'', '' B. oleracea'', '' B. napus'', '' B. nigra'', and '' B. rapa'') evolved by the combining of chromosomes from three earlier species, as described by the triangle of U theory.

The genus is native to Western Europe, the Mediterranean and temperate regions of Asia. Many wild species grow as weeds, especially in North America, South America, and Australia.

A dislike for cabbage or broccoli may result from the fact that these plants contain a compound similar to phenylthiocarbamide (PTC), which is either bitter or tasteless to people depending on their taste buds.

Uses

Food

The flowers, seeds, stalks, and tender leaves of many species of ''Brassica'' can be eaten raw or cooked. Almost all parts of some species have been developed for food, including the root ( swede, turnip), stems (kohlrabi), leaves ( cabbage, collard greens, kale), flowers ( cauliflower, broccoli, romanesco broccoli), buds ( Brussels sprouts, cabbage), and seeds (many, including mustard seed, and oil-producing rapeseed). Some forms with white or purple foliage or flowerheads are also sometimes grown for ornament.

''Brassica'' species are sometimes used as food plants by the larvae of a number of Lepidoptera species.

Cooking

Boiling substantially reduces the levels of broccoli glucosinolates, while other cooking methods, such as steaming, microwaving, and stir frying, have no significant effect on glucosinolate levels.

Species

The following species are accepted:

*'' Brassica assyriaca''
*'' Brassica aucheri''
*'' Brassica baldensis''
*'' Brassica balearica'' – Mallorca cabbage
*'' Brassica barrelieri''
*'' Brassica beytepeensis''
*'' Brassica bourgeaui''
*'' Brassica cadmea''
*'' Brassica carinata'' – Abyssinian mustard or Abyssinian cabbage, used to produce biodiesel
*'' Brassica cretica''
*'' Brassica deflexa''
*'' Brassica deserti''
*'' Brassica desnottesii''
*'' Brassica dimorpha''
*'' Brassica elongata'' – elongated mustard
*'' Brassica fruticulosa'' – Mediterranean cabbage
*'' Brassica gravinae''
*'' Brassica hilarionis'' – St. Hilarion cabbage
*'' Brassica incana''
*'' Brassica insularis''
*'' Brassica juncea'' – Indian mustard, brown and leaf mustards, Sarepta mustard
*'' Brassica loncholoma''
*'' Brassica macrocarpa''
*'' Brassica maurorum''
*'' Brassica montana''
*''Brassica napus'' – rapeseed, rutabaga, Siberian kale
*'' Brassica nivalis''
*''Brassica oleracea'' – kale, cabbage, collard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, '' kai-lan'', Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi
*'' Brassica oxyrrhina''
*'' Brassica procumbens''
*'' Brassica rapa'' – Chinese cabbage, turnip, rapini
*'' Brassica repanda''
*'' Brassica rupestris''
*'' Brassica setulosa''
*'' Brassica somalensis''
*'' Brassica souliei''
*'' Brassica spinescens''
*'' Brassica taiwanensis''
*'' Brassica taurica''
*'' Brassica trichocarpa''
*'' Brassica tyrrhena''
*'' Brassica villosa''

Species formerly placed in ''Brassica''

*''B. alba'' or ''B. hirta'' (white or yellow mustard)—see '' Sinapis alba''
*''B. geniculata'' (hoary mustard)—see '' Hirschfeldia incana''
*''B. kaber'' (wild mustard or charlock)—see '' Rhamphospermum arvense''
*''B. nigra'' —see '' Rhamphospermum nigrum''

Genome sequencing and genetics

Bayer CropScience (in collaboration with BGI-Shenzhen, China; KeyGene; the Netherlands and the University of Queensland, Australia) announced it had sequenced the entire genome of rapeseed (canola, ''Brassica napus'') and its constituent genomes present in ''B. rapa'' and ''B. oleracea'' in 2009. The ''B. rapa'' genome was sequenced by the Multinational Brassica Genome Project in 2011. This also represents the A genome component of the amphidiploid crop species ''B. napus'' and ''B. juncea''.

Etymology

'Brassica' was Pliny the Elder's name for several cabbage-like plants.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 76

References

External links

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{{Authority control

Brassicaceae genera
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus