TREATMENT FROM THE JEPSON MANUAL	previous taxon | next taxon Jepson Interchange (more information)
	©Copyright 1993 by the Regents of the University of California Print edition is available from the University of California Press

	The second edition of The Jepson Manual (2012) is available from the University of California Press
	See also the Jepson eFlora, which parallels the Second Edition

BRASSICACEAE

MUSTARD FAMILY

Reed C. Rollins, except as specified

Annual to subshrub
Leaves generally basal and cauline, alternate, generally simple; stipules 0
Inflorescence: generally raceme
Flower bisexual; sepals 4, free; petals (0)4, free, generally white or yellow, often clawed; stamens generally (2,4)6, generally 4 long, 2 short; ovary 1, superior, chambers generally 2, septum membranous, connecting 2 parietal placentas, style 1, stigma simple or 2-lobed
Fruit: generally capsule ("silique") with 2 deciduous valves, sometimes breaking transversely or indehiscent
Seeds 1–many per chamber
Genera in family: 300+ genera, 3000+ species: worldwide, especially cool regions; some cultivated for food (especially Brassica, Raphanus ) and ornamental
Recent taxonomic note: Recently treated to include Capparaceae [Rodman et al. 1993 Ann Missouri Bot Gard 80:686–699; Rollins 1993 Cruciferae of Continental North America. Stanford Univ Press]
Family description, key to genera by Robert A. Price.

BRASSICA

MUSTARD, TURNIP

Annual, perennial herb; hairs simple
Stem erect, branched, glabrous above
Leaves: basal and lower cauline petioled, dentate to pinnately lobed, lateral lobes < terminal
Inflorescence terminal; bracts ± 0
Flower: sepals erect; petals generally yellow
Fruit linear; valves 1-veined; beak conic or cylindric, with seeds 0 or rarely 1–2
Seeds many, 1 row per chamber, spheric, finely to coarsely netted
Species in genus: ± 35 species: Medit, Eurasia, some naturalized ± worldwide
Etymology: (Latin: cabbage)
Naturalizing CVS soon lose desirable food properties. B. oleracea L., cabbage, with thick, glaucous leaves and open inflorescence, is established on se-facing seacliffs, n CCo, c&s NCo.

Introduced

B. napus L.

SWEDE RAPE, RAPESEED

Annual, biennial < 15 dm, leafy
Leaves glaucous; basal and lower cauline ± pinnately lobed, hairs 0 or sparse; middle and upper cauline sessile, base lobed, often clasping stem
Flower: petals 10–14 mm, golden to dull yellow
Fruit ascending, 5–10 cm; pedicel spreading to ascending, slender; beak 7–11 mm, seedless
Seed ± 1.8 mm wide, finely netted
Chromosomes: 2n=36
Ecology: Roadsides, fields, disturbed areas
Elevation: < 500 m.
Bioregional distribution: San Joaquin Valley, South Coast
Distribution outside California: native to Europe

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Retrieve Jepson Interchange Index to Plant Names entry for Brassica napus
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