Brassica fruticulosa
Brassica fruticulosa, the Mediterranean cabbage or twiggy turnip, is a member of the agriculturally significant genus Brassica. It was described by Domenico Maria Leone Cirillo in 1792.
Description
Brassica fruticulosa has a similar odour to cabbage and broccoli, when crushed. The plant's stem is smooth and erect, varies from grey to green in colour, and can reach a height of 50 centimetres. The upper and lower leaves are stemmed, with the lower leaves being lyre-shaped, lobed near the base, and bristly in parts. The lower leaves measure up to 15 centimetres. The plant produces 10 millimetre-long, pale yellow flowers with four petals each, on short stalks, with many branches forming at the end of a stem. It also bears a pea pod-shaped siliqua which has a lumpy appearance and measures 2-4 centimetres in length. The seeds, when mature, are brown and spherical in appearance.Distribution
Brassica fruticulosa is a wild cabbage which originated in southern Europe and North Africa. It has been introduced to Australia and North America, where it has subsequently become naturalized in the wild.Subspecies and hybrids
- Brassica fruticulosa fruticulosa
- Brassica fruticulosa glaberrima
- Brassica fruticulosa mauritanica
- Brassica fruticulosa numidica
- Brassica fruticulosa pomeliana
- Brassica fruticulosa radicata