Brassica rapa dichotoma
Indian Rape
a biennial member of the Brassica genus in the family Brassicaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Genus
- Brassica
- Life cycle
- biennial
- Height
- 0.9 m
- Fertility
- Self fertile, Bees
- Flower type
- hermaphrodite
- Pollinators
- Bees
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Leaves - raw or cooked. A bit on the coarse side, though the young leaves can be added in moderation to salads whilst older leaves make an acceptable vegetable[K]. An edible oil is obtained from the seeds. There are no edible uses listed for Brassica rapa dichotoma.
Environment
- Range
- A cultivated form of B. rapa.
- Habitat
- Not known in the wild.
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- light shade
- Water
- moderate
- Soil textures
- sandy, loamy, clay
- Soil pH
- acid, neutral, alkaline
- Drainage
- well drained
- Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
- No
- Drought
- intolerant
Propagation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Seed - sow in situ in the spring.
Cultivation
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Succeeds in full sun in a well-drained fertile preferably alkaline soil[2]. Prefers a light sandy soil and dislikes a heavy soil[3]. Prefers cool moist growing conditions[1]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.3 to 8.3. Indian rape is cultivated mainly in India and Nepal for its oil-rich seeds.
References
Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-050-0
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878-00-00
Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00