''Eruca'' is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older but equally valid) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important Family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous pla ...

, native to the Mediterranean region, which includes the leaf vegetable known as

arugula Rocket, eruca, or arugula (''Eruca sativa'') is an edible annual plant in the family Brassicaceae used as a leaf vegetable for its fresh, tart, bitter, and peppery flavor. Its other common names include salad rocket and garden rocketFlora of NW ...

or rocket. The number of species is disputed, with some authorities only accepting a single species, while others accept up to five species. The following species are accepted by the Med-Checklist:Med-Checklist
''Eruca''
/ref>Med-Checklist
''Eruca vesicaria'' aggregate
/ref> *'' Eruca loncholoma'' (Pomel) O.E.Schulz *'' Eruca pinnatifida'' (Desf.) Pomel (syn. ''E. sativa'' subsp. ''pinnatifida'' (Desf.) Batt.; ''E. vesicaria'' subsp. ''pinnatifida'' (Desf.) Emberger & Maire) *''

Eruca sativa Rocket, eruca, or arugula (''Eruca sativa'') is an edible annual plant in the family Brassicaceae used as a leaf vegetable for its fresh, tart, bitter, and peppery flavor. Its other common names include salad rocket and garden rocketFlora of NW ...

'' Mill. (syn. ''E. vesicaria'' subsp. ''sativa'' (Mill.) Thell.) *'' Eruca setulosa'' Boiss. & Reuter *'' Eruca vesicaria'' (L.) Cav. When treated as a monospecific genus, all are included within ''E. vesicaria''.Flora of China
''Eruca''
/ref>Flora Europaea
''Eruca''
/ref> Varieties can be either annual or biennial, growing to 20–100 cm tall. The

leaves A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, ...

are deeply pinnately lobed with four to ten small lateral lobes and a large terminal lobe. The

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

s are 2–4 cm diameter, arranged in a corymb, with the typical 4-petal, 4-sepal

flower structure; the petals are creamy white with purple veins, and the stamens yellow. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...

is a siliqua (pod) 12–25 mm long with an apical beak, and containing several

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

s.Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). ''Flora of Britain and Northern Europe''. Flora of NW Europe
''Eruca vesicaria''
Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. Macmillan .

References

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae genera Taxa named by Philip Miller {{Brassicales-stub