Cabbage, leafy garden vegetable of many widely dissimilar varieties, all probably descended from the wild, or sea, cabbage (Brassica oleracea) of the family Cruciferae (mustard family), found on the coasts of Europe. It is used for food for man and stock, mostly in Europe and North America. Well-known varieties of the species include the cabbages, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collards, kale, and kohlrabi. All grow best in cool, moist climates. They are attacked mostly by insect pests. The true cabbages (var. capitata) include the white and red types and the Savoy type (grown mostly in Europe), with curly, loose leaves. Inexpensive and easily stored, cabbage is important in the diet of many poorer peoples. Popular cabbage dishes include sauerkraut and slaw (raw cabbage). Chinese cabbage, or petsai, chiefly a salad plant, is a separate species (B. pekinensis) grown in many varieties, especially in East Asia. Cabbages with multicolored leaves are becoming popular as ornamental border plants for flower gardens. Cabbages are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Capparales, family Cruciferae.
Cauliflower (kô`lĭflou'ər, käl`ĭ–), variety of cabbage, with an edible head of condensed flowers and flower stems. Broccoli is the horticultural variety (botrytis); both were cultivated in Roman times. Cauliflower is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Capparales, family Cruciferae
Brussels sprouts, variety (gemmifera) of cabbage producing small edible heads (sprouts) along the stem. It is cultivated like cabbage and was first developed in Belgium and France in the 18th cent. Brussels sprouts are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Capparales, family Cruciferae.
Broccoli (brŏk`əlē) [Ital.,=sprouts], variety of cabbage grown for the edible immature flower panicles. It is the same variety (Brassica oleracea botrytis) as the cauliflower and is similarly cultivated. Although known to the Romans, it became generally popular in the United States only in the 20th cent. Broccoli is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Capparales, family Cruciferae.
Kohlrabi (kōl`rä`bē) [Ger. partly from Ital.,=turnip cabbage], plant (Brassica caulorapa, sometimes classified as var. caulorapa of the cabbage species) of the family Cruciferae (mustard family), with an edible, turniplike, swollen stem. It is a cool-weather plant grown more in Europe, where some varieties are used for fodder, than in America. The flavor is more delicate than that of some of the other cabbage plants. Kohlrabi is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Capparales, family Cruciferae.
