Brassica rapa campestris
| Brassica rapa | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 7 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Blooms: | Late Spring-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Brassica rapa campestris (common name: wild turnip)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or autumn in situ.
Cultivation: Succeeds in full sun in a well-drained fertile preferably alkaline soil[1][2]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil but prefers one on the heavy side[1]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.8 to 8.3.
This is the wild form of the turnip with a non-tuberous tap-root[3]. It is closely related to the cultivated forms that are grown for their edible oil-bearing seeds[3].
Range: Europe - Mediterranean. Naturalized in Britain[3].
Habitat: River banks, arable and waste land[3].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked. A strong radish/cabbage flavour.
An edible oil is obtained from the seed, it is best when cold pressed[4]. Some varieties are rich in erucic acid which can be harmful[K].
Medicinal: The tuberous roots and seeds are considered to be antiscorbutic[5]. A rather strange report, the leaves are much more likely to contain reasonable quantities of vitamin C than the roots or seeds[K].
Usage: The seed contains up to 45% of a semi-drying oil. It is used as a lubricant, luminant and in soap making[6][7][8][9][10][4].
Pollinators: Bees, self
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Known Hazards: The oil contained in the seed of some varieties of this species can be rich in erucic acid which is toxic. However, modern cultivars have been selected which are almost free of erucic acid.
Also Known As: B. campestris autumnalis. B. rapa campestris. (L.)Clapham.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Simons, Arthur. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin, 1977.
- ↑ Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Manandhar, N. Medicinal Plants of Nepal Himalaya. Department of Medicinal Plants, 1993.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ Schery. Robert. Plants for Man. Prentice Hall, 1972.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.