(Redirected from Cole crops)
The
flowering plant family 'Brassicaceae', also called 'Cruciferae', is known as the 'mustard family' or 'cabbage family'. Agricultural plants in the mustard family are also known as 'cole crops'; ''cole'' comes from the
Latin word ''caulis'' (stem), as does the
German ''Kohl''.
The family contains species of great economic importance, providing much of the world's winter vegetables. These include
cabbage,
broccoli,
cauliflower,
brussels sprouts,
collards, and
kale (all cultivars of one species, ''
Brassica oleracea''),
Chinese kale,
rutabaga (also known as Swedish turnips or swedes),
seakale,
turnip,
radish and
kohl rabi. Other well known members of the Brassicaceae include
rapeseed (
canola and others),
mustard,
horseradish,
wasabi and
watercress.
The most intensely studied member of the Brassicaceae is the
model organism ''
Arabidopsis thaliana''.
The family was formerly named 'Cruciferae' ("cross-bearing"), because the four
petals of their flowers are reminiscent of crosses. Many botanists still refer to members of the family as "crucifers". According to
ICBN Art. 18.5 (St Louis Code) Cruciferae is to be regarded as validly published, and is thus an accepted alternate name. The name Brassicaceae is derived from the included genus ''Brassica''.
A close relationship has long been acknowledged between Brassicaceae and the caper family,
Capparaceae, in part because members of both groups produce
glucosinolate (mustard oil) compounds. Recent research (Hall et al. 2002) suggests that Capparaceae as traditionally circumscribed are
paraphyletic with respect to Brassicaceae, with ''
Cleome'' and several related genera being more closely related to Brassicaceae than to other Capparaceae. The
APG II system therefore merges the two families under the name Brassicaceae. Other classifications have continued to recognize Capparaceae but with a more restricted circumscription, either including ''Cleome'' and its relatives in Brassicaceae or recognizing them in the segregate family Cleomaceae.
Plant diseases
Use as food
The importance of this Family for food crops has led to its selective breeding throughout history. Brassica oleracea, a plant of Atlantic Europe and the Mediterranean, is the precursor to Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Cauliflower, Kale, and most recently
Brocciflower, a hybrid of Broccoli and Cauliflower.
| Cultivar | Selected for... |
|---|
| Kale | loose, curly leaves (most closely resembles the wild plant) |
| Cabbage | enlarged terminal buds. |
| Brussels sprouts | numerous lateral buds. |
| Kohlrabi | enlarged stems. |
| Broccoli | enlarged stems and flowering structures. |
| Cauliflower | more extensive flowering structures. The whiteness is caused by the outerleaves blocking sunlight and preventing the formation of chlorophyll. [1] |
Distribution and description
The mustard family is concentrated in the
temperate regions and reaches maximal diversity around the
Mediterranean area. It contains over 350 genera and about 3000 species.
The family consists of
herbaceous plants with annual, biennial and perennial lifespans. Members of this family often have alternate (rarely opposite) leaves. Most members share a suite of
glucosinolate compounds that has a typical pungent odor usually associated with cole crops.
Whilst some members have seeds with a high
erucic acid content, making these unsafe to eat in large doses, all members of this family are edible.
;Genera
References
★ Hall, J. C., K. J. Sytsma and H. H. Iltis. 2002. Phylogeny of Capparaceae and Brassicaceae based on chloroplast sequence data. ''American Journal of Botany'' 89: 1826-1842 (abstract
here).
1. Sauer, J.D. 1993. Historical geography of crop plants - a select roster. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida
External links
★
Brassicaceae in
L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. http://delta-intkey.com
★
Brassicaceae at www.botany.hawaii.edu
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