Practical
Plants

Brassica oleracea

Wild Cabbage

a biennial or perennial herbaceous vegetable of the Brassica genus in the family Brassicaceae. Although the wild species has limited uses it has been selectively bred to produce numerous and varied cultivars which account for a great deal of common garden vegetables.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Wild Brassica oleracea is a tall biennial plant, forming a stout rosette of large leaves in the first year. The leaves, being fleshier and thicker than those of other species of Brassica, have adaptations to store water and nutrients in its difficult native growing environment of chalky cliffs. In its second year, the stored nutrients are used to produce a flower spike 1 to 2 metres (3–7 ft) tall bearing numerous yellow flowers.

Is a variety
No
Life cycle
biennial, perennial
Woodiness
herbaceous
Growth rate
moderate
Height
1.2 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Flower colours
yellow
Pollinators
insects

Uses

Edible uses

Plant part
Leaves
Product or use
Fresh, Cooked

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

Plant part
Leaves
Product or use
Cardiotonic, Stomachic
Plant part
Leaves
Product or use
Poultice
Plant part
Seed

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Soil surface

Environment

Range
Coastal regions of the Mediterranean and W. Europe north to France and Britain.
Habitat
A rare plant of sea cliffs[6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 7+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind, maritime exposure
Wind
Yes
Maritime
Yes
Pollution
No
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

seed

Sow April in situ. Seedlings transplant very well and so, if you sow the seed too thickly, it is a simple matter to move some of the plants to give them more space.

cutting

Cuttings root very easily at almost any time in the growing season. Use shoots about 8cm long of the current year's growth and place them in individual pots in the cuttings frame.

Seed Requires Scarification
No
Seed Requires Smokification
No
Seed Requires Stratification
No

Cultivation

An easily grown plant, it succeeds in full sun in any reasonable soil, though it prefers a well-drained fertile preferably alkaline soil[8]. It does well in heavy clay soils. It is often found wild by the coast and tolerates considerable maritime exposure. The true wild cabbage is a short-lived perennial, though we have seen specimens 5 years old or more[11]. This species has long been cultivated for its edible leaves, stems etc and a wide diversity of forms have been developed, including cabbages, cauliflowers, broccolis and Brussels sprouts[9]. Most of these forms are biennial in cultivation, though there are also some perennial forms. These different forms are detailed below and have each been given their own entry in the database. We have chosen the most up to date classification we can find, as treated in 'World Economic Plants'.

The following information needs to be moved to individual cultivar & cultivar group articles.

Descendants

Cultivar groups

Viridis Group

Common names: Kale, Collard greens, Cow cabbage, Tree kale, Tree cabbage[10]

Alboglabra Group

Common names: Chinese kale, Chinese broccoli, White flowering broccoli Chinese kales are fast-growing plants with tender edible leaves. Although perennials[8], they are usually grown as annuals and are eaten as a summer and autumn crop whilst still young.

Botrytis Group

Common names: Cauliflower Cauliflowers are grown mainly for their edible swollen inflorescence. Different cultivars can be used to provide crops all year round.

Capitata Group

Common names: Cabbage These are the cultivated cabbages, grown for their edible leaves that usually form a compact head. Reasonably winter hardy, different cultivars can be used to provide edible plants all year round.

Gemmifera Group

Common names: Brussel sprouts Brussels sprouts form large edible axillary buds 5cm or more long. They are mainly used as late autumn to spring crops.

Gongylodes Group

Common names: Kohlrabi, Turnip-stemmed cabbage, Hungarian turnip, Cabbage turnip Kohl rabi produces an edible swollen stem 8cm or more in diameter. It is reasonably cold hardy and provides crops from mid summer to the winter.

Italica Group

Common names: Broccoli, Winter cauliflower The calabreses and sprouting broccolis, grown mainly for their edible flowering shoots. Calabrese is the less hardy and is used mainly as an autumn and early winter crop. The sprouting broccolis are very winter hardy and are grown outdoors through the winter to provide a spring to early summer crop.

Medullosa Group

Common names: Marrow-stem kale, Marrow kale, Marrow-stemmed kale Marrowstem Kale.

Ramosa Group

Common names: Thousand-head kale, Perpetual kale, Branching cabbage, Perennial kale, Branching bush kale, Branching kale, Leaf and spear kale, Siberian kale

Sabuada Group

Common names: Savoy cabbage, Winter cabbage Sometimes referred to as a cultivar within the Capitata Group, there are a number of cultivars of the original Savoy, which are more correctly listed under the Subuada Group[10]. A winter cabbage with thick, wrinkled leaves.

Sabellica Group

Common names: Borecole [en-GB], Curly kale, Kitchen kale, Scotch kale [en-GB], Siberian kale

Costata Group

Common names: Portuguese cabbage, Bedford cabbage,Tronchuda kale, Tronchuda cabbage, Portuguese kale, Tronchuda cabbage, Seakale cabbage, Madeira cabbage, White-flowered cabbage

References

  1. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 32202/01/01

  2. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 32202/01/01 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

  3. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 32202/01/01 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

  4. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 32202/01/01

  5. Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 32202/01/01 ISBN 9-780751-303148

  6. Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 32202/01/01 ISBN 0-00-219060-5

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  7. Fiona Nevile [Purple Sprouting Broccoli] Cottage Small Holder (2013/03/20)

  8. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (32202/01/01)

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  9. Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins ISBN 0-00-219060-5 (32202/01/01)

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  10. [Sorting Brassica oleracea names] MULTILINGUAL MULTISCRIPT PLANT NAME DATABASE (2013/03/17)

    ↩1↩2

  11. archive:pfaf-6

    Unresolved citation

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  12. [January King Cabbage] Wikipedia (2013/03/17)

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