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Cabbage & Friends
 BECOME A KITCHEN BOTANIST: Cabbage & Friends
There are about 350,000 different species of plants, but only about 5,000 species are used for food, fiber, drugs and various industrial purposes.
Count the number of labels of fruits and vegetables in a well stocked produce section of a supermarket, and there might be a couple dozen. But the actual number of different plant species represented is even fewer.
The cabbages, which include Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and kale, are all the same species. They are all Brassica oleracea. Differences in flowers are important in classifying plants, and the flowers are the same in all of these different looking plants.
It is easy to see what these flowers look like, because broccoli is made up of flower buds. Break off a stalk and set it in a glass of water, and soon the buds will open. They are just like cabbage flowers.
Brassica is a genus in the family Cruciferae, and other species in the genus are well known to shoppers in the vegetable market. They are turnips, mustard (leaves and seeds), and bok-choi. Other plants in this family common on our dinner plates are radish, water cress, and horse radish. So the many closely related plants in this one popular food family show how few plants are actually used by humans.
The Cruciferae evolved in northern temperate regions and can prosper in low temperatures. Brussels sprouts and broccoli are special because of their high levels of vitamin C. Perhaps they will replace oranges for breakfast?
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