Practical
Plants

Brassica rapa trilocularis

Indian Colza

a biennial member of the Brassica genus in the family Brassicaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

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. Used as a vegetable or fermented and stored for winter use[4]. 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. It is used for cooking[4].

Plant part
Leaves
Product or use
Oil

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The oil from the seed is used for lighting[4]. The seed husks are used in plastering house walls[4].

Product or use
Oil
Product or use
Lighting

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 April to September[3]. Some varieties can also be sown in a cold greenhouse in late autumn, winter or early spring to provide leaves overwinter and in late 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[5]. Prefers cool moist growing conditions[1]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.3 to 8.3. Indian colza is cultivated mainly in India and Nepal for its oil-rich seeds.

References

  1. Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-050-0

    ↩

  2. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  3. Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4

    ↩

  4. Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-527-6

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  5. Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878-00-00

    ↩

  6. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

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