Eruca vesicaria

taxobox
name = "Eruca vesicaria"

---

regnum = Plantae
unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
unranked_classis = Eudicots
unranked_ordo = Rosids
ordo = Brassicales
familia = Brassicaceae
genus = "Eruca"
species = "E. vesicaria"
binomial = "Eruca vesicaria"
binomial_authority = (L.) Cav.|

"Eruca vesicaria" (syn. "Brassica vesicaria" L.) is a species of "Eruca" native to the western Mediterranean region, in Morocco, Algeria, and Spain.Med-Checklist: [http://ww2.bgbm.org/mcl/PTaxonDetail.asp?NameId=23954&PTRefFk=1275 "Eruca vesicaria"] ] It is closely related to "Eruca sativa";Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). "Flora of Britain and Northern Europe". ISBN 0-340-40170-2] that species is included in "E. vesicaria" by some botanists either as a subspecies "E. vesicaria" subsp. "sativa"Flora of NW Europe: [http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/BIS/flora.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&id=2395 "Eruca vesicaria"] ] or not distinguished at all;Flora Europaea: [http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Eruca&SPECIES_XREF=&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= "Eruca"] ] "E. vesicaria" can be distinguished from "E. sativa" by its persistent sepals.Huxley, A., ed. (1992). "New RHS Dictionary of Gardening". Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.]

It is an annual plant growing to 20–100 cm tall. The leaves are deeply pinnately lobed with four to ten small lateral lobes and a large terminal lobe. The flowers are 2–4 cm diameter, arranged in a corymb, with the typical Brassicaceae flower structure; the petals are creamy white with purple veins, and the stamens yellow; the sepals are persistent after the flower opens. The fruit is a siliqua (pod) 12–25 mm long with an apical beak, and containing several seeds.

Cultivation and uses

It can be used as a leaf vegetable in the same manner as "Eruca sativa".

References