Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes

Kohl rabi

Brassicaceae Edible: Stem tuber, Root, Leaves, Vegetable 20,543 iNaturalist observations

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loriothuo

gbif· cc-by-nc

loriothuo

gbif· cc-by-nc

loriothuo

Summary

Source: Wikipedia

Brassica oleracea, also known as wild cabbage in its uncultivated form, is a plant of the family Brassicaceae. The species originated from feral populations of related plants in the Eastern Mediterranean, where it was most likely first cultivated. It has many common cultivars that are used as culinary vegetables, including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, romanesco, kale, Brussels sprout, collard, Savoy cabbage, kohlrabi, and gai lan.

Description

A cabbage family plant with a swollen bulb above the ground. This can be green or purple. It is round with a tapering root. It can be 8-11 cm long by 10-12 cm wide. Leaves come off around the side of this bulb. They have stalks. The leaves are 20-28 cm long by 14-16 cm wide. They are dark green. The edges of the leaves are wavy. The flowers are yellow.

Edible Uses

The bulb is typically cooked and added to soups or simmered in coconut milk with spices, though it can also be eaten raw. Young leaves are edible and used for sarma in Turkey, rolled around rice or minced meat fillings. The plant is best eaten when young to preserve flavor and avoid the need for peeling.

Traditional Uses

The bulb is mostly cooked and eaten. It can be added to soups. It can be lightly simmered in coconut milk with spices. It can be eaten raw. The young leaves are edible. The leaves are used for sarma in Turkey. They are rolled around a filling of rice or minced meat. It is best eaten when young before needing to be peeled and this preserves the flavour.

Distribution

It is a warm temperate plant. It does best in the highlands in the tropics but is reasonably tolerant of heat and drought. It can be grown from sea level to 2600 m altitude. It is frost tolerant. It suits hardiness zones 8-11.

Where It Grows

Africa, Asia, Australia, Austria, Balkans, Bangladesh, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Caucasus, China, Cook Islands, Cuba, Europe, Fiji, Georgia, Germany, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Italy, Japan, Kiribati, Korea, Macedonia, Mediterranean, Myanmar, Nepal, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, SE Asia, Sikkim, Slovenia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Tasmania, Thailand, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Indies,

Cultivation

They are grown from imported seed. The seed can be sown direct or in a nursery and transplanted.

Other Information

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. In Papua New Guinea it is not commonly grown and is mainly by or for sale to Europeans.

Notes

There are about 30 Brassica species and many cultivated varieties.

Nutrition

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Leaves raw	90	113	27	1.7	35	62	0.4	—
Stem/Root	91.6	99	24	1.9	4	63	0.9	0.3

Synonyms

Brassica caulorapa (DC.) PasqualeBrassica oleracea var. caulorapa DC.

Also Known As

Cabbage turnip, Chou chinh gom larn, Colinabo, Gyanth kobi, Kabu, Kalam pom, Kha-lay-oo, Knol kohl, Kolerabica, Loorabi, No-ko-hdi, No-ko-oo, Sorta, Turnip kale

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