Brassicaceae

The important Brassicaceae family, formerly cruciferous, includes dicotyledonous plants. They are essentially herbaceous plants mainly present in the northern hemisphere in the wild or cultivated state. Several genera provide edible plants:

• Brassica , with cabbage and its many cultivated varieties ( Brassica oleracea ), rutabaga ( Brassica napus ), turnip , rape cabbage Chinese ( Brassica rapa );
• Raphanus , including radish ( Raphanus sativus ) grown for its fleshy hypocotyl, often eaten raw, as a vegetable. Radish skin can be of different colors, the most common of which is red. Some varieties may be pink, white or black skinned;
• Armoracia , including horseradish ( Armoracia rusticana ) produced for its root as a condiment;
• Nasturtium , including Nasturtium officinale , watercress or Cresson officinalis;
• Eruca , including arugula ( Eruca sativa ), an annual plant whose leaves resemble those of radishes and turnips, with a pungent, peppery flavor;