Brassicaceae

? Brassicaceae
Winter Cress (Barbarea vulgaris)
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Brassicales Family: Brassicaceae Juss.
Genera
See text.

The flowering plant family Brassicaceae, also called Cruciferae, is known as the mustard family or cabbage family. Agricultural plants in the mustard family are also known as cole crops; cole comes from the Latin word caulis (stem), as does the German Kohl.

The family contains species of great economic importance, providing much of the world's winter vegetables. These include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, collards, and kale (all cultivars of one species, Brassica oleracea), Chinese kale, rutabaga (also known as Swedish turnips or swedes), seakale, turnip, radish and kohl rabi. Other well known members of the Brassicaceae include rapeseed (canola and others), mustard, horseradish, wasabi and watercress. The most intensely studied member of the Brassicaceae is the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana.

The family was formerly named Cruciferae ("cross-bearing"), because the four petals of their flowers are reminiscent of crosses. Many botanists still refer to members of the family as "crucifers". According to ICBN Art. 18.5 (St Louis Code) Cruciferae is to be regarded as validly published, and is thus an accepted alternate name. The name Brassicaceae is derived from the included genus Brassica.

A close relationship has long been acknowledged between Brassicaceae and the caper family, Capparaceae, in part because members of both groups produce glucosinolate (mustard oil) compounds. Recent research (Hall et al. 2002) suggests that Capparaceae as traditionally circumscribed are paraphyletic with respect to Brassicaceae, with Cleome and several related genera being more closely related to Brassicaceae than to other Capparaceae. The APG II system therefore merges the two families under the name Brassicaceae. Other classifications have continued to recognize Capparaceae but with a more restricted circumscription, either including Cleome and its relatives in Brassicaceae or recognizing them in the segregate family Cleomaceae.

Plant diseases

Main article: List of crucifer diseases

Use as food

Template:Seealso The importance of this Family for food crops has lead to its selective breeding throughout history. Brassica oleracea, a plant of Atlantic Europe and the Mediterranean, is the precursor to Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Broccoli, Kohlrabi, Cauliflower, Kale, and most recently Broccoflower, a hybrid of Broccoli and Cauliflower.

Cultivar	Selected for...
Kale	loose, curly leaves (most closely resembles the wild plant)
Cabbage	enlarged terminal buds.
Brussels sprouts	numerous lateral buds.
Kohlrabi	enlarged stems.
Broccoli	enlarged stems and flowering structures.
Cauliflower	more extensive flowering structures. The whiteness is caused by the outer leaves blocking sunlight and preventing the formation of chlorophyll.

Distribution and description

The mustard family is concentrated in the temperate regions and reaches maximal diversity around the Mediterranean area. It contains over 350 genera and about 3000 species.

The family consists of herbaceous plants with annual, bi-annual and perennial lifespans. Members of this family often have alternate (rarely opposite) leaves. Most members share a suite of glucosinolate compounds that has a typical pungent odor usually associated with cole crops.

Whilst some members have seeds with a high erucic acid content, making these unsafe to eat in large doses, all members of this family are edible.

Genera

Acanthocardamum Aethionema Agallis Alliaria Alyssoides Alysopsis Alyssum Ammosperma Anastatica Anchonium Andrzeiowskia Anelsonia Aphragmus Aplanodes Arabidella Arabidopsis Arabis Arcyosperma Armoracia Aschersoniodoxa Asperuginoides Asta Atelanthera Athysanus Aubrieta Aurinia Ballantinia Barbarea Beringia Berteroa Berteroella Biscutella Bivonaea Blennodia Boleum Boreava Bornmuellera Borodinia Botscantzevia Brachycarpaea Brassica Braya Brayopsis Brossardia Bunias Cakile Calepina Calymmatium Camelina Camelinopsis Capsella Cardamine Cardaminopsis Cardaria Carinavalva Carrichtera Catadysia Catenulina Caulanthus Caulostramina Ceratocnemum Ceriosperma Chalcanthus Chamira Chartoloma Cheesemania Cheiranthus Chlorocrambe Chorispora Christolea Chrysobraya Chrysochamela Cithareloma Clastopus Clausia Clypeola Cochlearia Coelonema Coincya Coluteocarpus Conringia Cordylocarpus Coronopus Crambe Crambella Cremolobus Crucihimalaya Cryptospora Cuphonotus Cusickiella

Cycloptychis Cymatocarpus Cyphocardamum Dactylocardamum Degenia Delpinophytum Descurainia Diceratella Dichasianthus Dictyophragmus Didesmus Didymophysa Dielsiocharis Dilophia Dimorphocarpa Diplotaxis Dipoma Diptychocarpus Dithyrea Dolichirhynchus Dontostemon Douepea Draba Drabastrum Drabopsis Dryopetalon Eigia Elburzia Enarthrocarpus Englerocharis Eremobium Eremoblastus Eremodraba Eremophyton Ermania Ermaniopsis Erophila Erucaria Erucastrum Erysimum Euclidium Eudema Eutrema Euzomodendron Farsetia Fezia Fibigia Foleyola Fortuynia Galitzkya Geococcus Glaribraya Glastaria Glaucocarpum Goldbachia Gorodkovia Graellsia Grammosperma Guiraoa Gynophorea Halimolobos Harmsiodoxa Hedinia Heldreichia Heliophila Hemicrambe Hemilophia Hesperis Heterodraba Hirschfeldia Hollermayera Hornungia Hornwoodia Hugueninia Hymenolobus Ianhedgea Iberis Idahoa Iodanthus Ionopsidium Irenepharsus Isatis Ischnocarpus Iskandera Iti Ivania Kernera Kremeriella Lachnocapsa Lachnoloma

Leavenworthia Lepidium Lepidostemon Leptaleum Lesquerella Lignariella Lithodraba Lobularia Lonchophora [[Loxostem on]] Lunaria Lyocarpus Lyrocarpa Macropodium Malcolmia Mancoa Maresia Mathewsia Matthiola Megacarpaea Megadenia Menkea Menonvillea Microlepidium Microsysymbrium Microstigma Morettia Moricandia Moriera Morisia Murbeckiella Muricaria Myagrum Nasturtiopsis Nasturtium Neomartinella Neotchihatchewia Neotorularia Nerisyrenia Neslia Neuontobotrys Notoceras Notothlaspi Ochthodium Octoceras Olimarabidopsis Onuris Oreoloma Oreophyton Ornithocarpa Orychophragmus Otocarpus Oudneya Pachycladon Pachymitus Pachyphragma Pachypterygium Parlatoria Parodiodoxa Parolinia Parrya Parryodes Pegaeophyton Peltaria Peltariopsis Pennellia Petiniotia Petrocallis Phaeonychium Phlebolobium Phlegmatospermum Phoenicaulis Physaria Physocardamum Physoptychis Physorrhynchus Platycraspedum Polyctenium Polypsecadium Pringlea Prionotrichon Pritzelago Pseuderucaria Pseudoarabidopsis Pseudocamelina Pseudoclausia Pseudofortuynia Pseudovesicaria Psychine Pterygiosperma

Pterygostemon Pugionium Pycnoplinthopsis Pycnoplinthus Pyramidium Quezeliantha Quidproquo Raffenaldia Raphanorhyncha Raphanus Rapistrum Reboudia Redowskia Rhizobotrya Ricotia Robeschia Rollinsia Romanschulzia Roripella Rorippa Rytidocarpus Sameraria Sarcodraba Savignya Scambopus Schimpera Schivereckia Schizopetalon Schlechteria Schoenocrambe Schouwia Scoliaxon Selenia Sibara Silicularia Sinapidendron Sinapis Sisymbrella Sisymbriopsis Sisymbrium Smelowskia Sobolewslia Sohms-Laubachia Sophiopsis Sphaerocardamum Spirorhynchus Spryginia Staintoniella Stanfordia Stanleya Stenopetalum Sterigmostemum Stevenia Straussiella Streptanthella Streptanthus Streptoloma Stroganowia Stubebdorffia Subularia Succowia Synstemon Synthlipsis Taphrospermum Tauscheria Teesdalia Teesdaliopsis Tetracme Thelypodiopsis Thelypodium Thlaspeocarpa Thlaspi Thysanocarpus Trachystoma Trichotolinum Trochiscus Tropidocarpum Turritis Vella Warea Wasabia Weberbauera Werdermannia Winklera Xerodraba Yinshania Zerdana Zilla

References

• Hall, J. C., K. J. Sytsma and H. H. Iltis. 2002. Phylogeny of Capparaceae and Brassicaceae based on chloroplast sequence data. American Journal of Botany 89: 1826-1842 (abstract here).

External links

• Brassicaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants: descriptions, illustrations, identification, information retrieval. http://delta-int

key.com

• Brassicaceae at www.botany.hawaii.edu