''Cakile'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

within the

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

family

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The l ...

. Species in this genus are commonly known as searockets, though this name on its own is applied particularly to whatever member of the species is native or most common in the region concerned, the

European searocket ''Cakile maritima'', sea rocket (Britain and Ireland)Clive Stace, ''New Flora of the British Isles'' 4th edition 2019, p 441 or European searocket (North America), is a common plant in the mustard family Brassicaceae. It is widespread in Europe ...

''Cakile maritima'' in Europe, and the American searocket ''C. edentula'' in North America. The genus is native to

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

and North America, but the European searocket has been introduced into North America and has spread widely on both east and west coasts; in many places it is replacing the native ''C. edentula'', and is regarded as an undesirable

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

. ''Cakile'' species grow as annual plants with an erect or decumbent stem. The common species in Europe and North America grow close to the coast, often in dunes. Their leaves are fleshy. Flowers are typically pale mauve to white, with petals about 1 cm in length. Each fruit has two sections, one that remains attached to the adult, and the other which that falls off for dispersal by wind or water.Keddy, P.A. 1982. Population ecology on an environmental gradient: Cakile edentula on a sand dune. Oecologia 52: 348-355. They are rather similar to those of the wild radish (also in family Brassicaceae) which is found in the same regions, and careful attention to the leaves and stems is needed to tell the two plants apart. ,

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is a ...

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants ...

accepts seven species: *'' Cakile arabica'' Velen. *'' Cakile arctica'' Pobed. *'' Cakile constricta'' Rodman *'' Cakile edentula'' (Bigelow) Hook. *''

Cakile geniculata ''Cakile'' is a genus within the flowering plant family Brassicaceae. Species in this genus are commonly known as searockets, though this name on its own is applied particularly to whatever member of the species is native or most common in the ...

'' (B.L.Rob.) Millsp. *''

Cakile lanceolata ''Cakile'' is a genus within the flowering plant family Brassicaceae. Species in this genus are commonly known as searockets, though this name on its own is applied particularly to whatever member of the species is native or most common in the ...

'' (Willd.) O.E.Schulz *'' Cakile maritima'' Scop.

References

*
Jepson manual treatment of the genusUSDA PLANTS database entry on ''Cakile''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q158349 Brassicaceae Brassicaceae genera Taxa named by Philip Miller