Brassica incana, Ten. Brassica insularis, Moris Brassica rapa, L.

7. B. incana Ten. , Prodr. FI. Nap. xxxix (1811).

Woody at base, branched; stems up to 100 cm. glabrous except at base. Basal leaves up to 40 cm, pubescent to tomentose, shortly petiolate, lyrate, with the terminal lobe undivided, usually obtuse. Siliqua 40-80 x 2-3 mm, linear, constricted at intervals, terete, gradually attenuate into beak. • W. & S. coasts o f Italy, Sicilia and Jugoslavia. It Ju Si. In the islands of the Adriatic a number of endemic variants, distinguished principally by fruit characters, have been recognized as species: B. botteri Vis. , Fl. Dalm. 3: 135 (1850) with siliqua 30^10x4-5 mm; B. cazzae Ginzberger & Teyber , Österr. Bot. Zeitschr. 19: 238 (1921) with siliqua 35-50(-60) x 3-3-5 mm, and B. mollis Vis. , FI. Dalm. 3: 359 (1852) with siliqua 4 0 -6 0x 3 - 4 mm. Their status is uncertain.

8. B. insularis Moris , FZ. Sard. 1: 168 (1837).

Perennial up to 150 cm. Basal leaves 10-15 cm, lyrate or spathulate; terminal lobe broad and rounded or narrowly elongate, crenate or dentate, glabrous or with a few hairs on margins; petiole usually half as long as the lamina or more. Cauline leaves usually truncate at the base. Petals white or pale yellow. Siliqua 30-70(-90) x 3- 5 mm, linear, attenuate into beak 5-10 mm long, which is narrower than siliqua. 2n = 18. • Corse, Sardegna. Co Sa.

9. B. eretica Lam. , Encycl. Méth. Bot. 1: 747 (1785).

Like 8 but petioles of basal leaves a third as long as the lamina or less; cauline leaves usually auriculate at the base; beak usually as broad as the siliqua at the base. • S.E. Greece and Aegean region. Cr Gr. This species has been divided into a number of local geographical variants, one of which ( var. nivea (Boiss. & Spruner) O. E. Schulz ) is somewhat transitional to B. insularis in leafshape and in having usually white petals. The cauliflower ( subsp. botrytis (L.) O. Schwarz ) is regarded as having been derived from this species.

10. B. napus L. , Sp. Pl. 666 (1753).

Annual or biennial, with slender or stout, often fusiform or tuberous taproot; stems up to 150 cm. Basal leaves lyrate, sometimes ciliate, petiolate, glaucous and glabrous, or with few bristly hairs especially along veins; upper cauline leaves sessile, more or less entire, amplexicaul. Open flowers not overtopping buds of inflorescence. Sepals erecto-patent. Petals 10-18 mm, yellow. Siliqua 50-100x2-5- 4 mm, suberect, attenuate into a long slender beak 5-25(-30) mm. 2« = 38. Cultivated in most European countries and naturalized in many o f them. In addition to subsp. napus a large number of cultivars are extensively cultivated. There are numerous different classifications of these cultivars and interpretations of their relationship to the wild subspecies. A summary is given in E. N. Sinskaja, Bull. Appi. Bot. Pl.-Breed. (Leningrad) 33: 233-50(1960). The principal ones are the following which occasionally occur as escapes: subsp. pabularia (DC.) Janchen (‘primitive’ leaf rape), with a slender, annual root and crispate, dissected leaves, subsp. oleifera DC. (rape), biennial with a non-tuberous root, lyrate-pinnatifid leaves, and subsp. rapifera Metzger , biennial with a thickened, more or less globose, fleshy, edible stem-base and a taproot. Var. napobrassica (L.) Reichenb. (swede) (2n=38), with pale buff-coloured flowers and an edible swollen stem-base and yellow- fleshed taproot, has been derived from B. oleracea x B. napus by dibasic polyploidy. It is thought that crosses of B. oleracea subsp. oleracea (2/7= 18) with B. rapa (2« = 20) gave rise to subsp. pabularia (2« =38), from which subsp. napus (2/7 = 38) and subsp. rapifera (2n = 38) and other cultivars were derived.

11. B. rapa L. , Sp. Pl. 666 (1753)

( B. campestris L. ).

Like 10 but basal leaves bright green, with setiform hairs; upper cauline leaves glaucous; open flowers overtopping buds of the inflorescence; sepals patent; petals 6-10 mm, yellow.

(a) Subsp. sylvestris (L.) Janchen in Janchen & Wendelberger, Kleine Fl. Wien 55 (1953)

, ( B. campestris L. pro parte ):

2« = 20. Weed or ruderal in much o fEurope; native distribution not known with certainty. *[?A1 BI Bu Co Cz D a Fe Ge G r H o Hs Hu Is It Ju N o Rm Rs (E) Sa Si Su.]

(b) Subsp. rapa :

(turnip), is cultivated for its tuberous taproot and sometimes occurs as an escape.

Another cultivated race is subsp. oleifera DC. (turnip rape), grown as a fodder crop; it differs from subsp. sylvestris in its larger, reddish-brown seeds, and non-tuberous taproot.