Where did the word cruciferous come from?
Fun fact: The name “cruciferous” is an informal classification for members of the mustard family and comes from the Latin cruciferae meaning “cross bearing,” because the four petals resemble a cross. While these veggies grow in all different colors, shapes and sizes, they share several nutritional benefits.
How did cruciferous vegetables get their name?
Cruciferous or Brassica vegetables are so named because they come from plants in the family known to botanists and biologists as Cruciferae or alternately, Brassicaceae. The Brassicaceae family, which includes the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, comprises approximately 375 genera and over 3,000 species (1).
Where did cruciferous vegetables originate?
Northern Europe
The common ancestor of these plants probably originated in Northern Europe where (headless) cabbages were first cultivated thousands of years ago. Subsequently, the crop spread around Europe and Asia where it malleably transformed into the many cruciferous crops we know today.
What does the term cruciferous vegetable mean?
cruciferous vegetablenoun. a vegetable of the mustard family: especially mustard greens; various cabbages; broccoli; cauliflower; brussels sprouts.
What plants are related to broccoli?
Ah, there’s nothing in the world quite like broccoli. Well, nothing except cabbage, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, collard greens, and kohlrabi. All of these vegetables are, in fact, the same species, Brassica oleracea.
How do you identify cruciferous vegetables?
In general, cruciferous vegetables are cool weather vegetables and have flowers that have four petals so that they resemble a cross. In most cases, the leaves or flower buds of cruciferous vegetables are eaten, but there are a few where either the roots or seeds are also eaten.
Who should not eat cruciferous vegetables?
If you have hypothyroidism, you may want to consider limiting your intake of cruciferous vegetables, says Rustveld. “If you have an underactive thyroid or iodine deficiency, you should avoid juicing cruciferous vegetables,” he adds, since juicing makes it easy to ingest large quantities of produce.
Are kale and brussel sprouts related?
Kale and Brussels sprouts are two closely-related members of the Brassica family, often referred to as cruciferous vegetables. Close cousins include broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. Despite what the title may suggest, there is no reason not to enjoy both kale and Brussels sprouts on a regular basis.
Do all plants have glucosinolates?
Glucosinolates occur as secondary metabolites of almost all plants of the order Brassicales. Ordered in the Brassicales are for example the economically important family Brassicaceae as well as Capparaceae and Caricaceae.
What is the meaning of the name cruciferous?
Meaning of cruciferous in English. cruciferous. adjective. biology specialized uk/kruːˈsɪf. ər.əs/ us/kruːˈsɪf.ɚ.əs/. › (of vegetables or plants) belonging to the cabbage family: Kale is a leafy green cruciferous vegetable.
Why do they call them cruciferous vegetables?
This seemingly arcane naming distinction is important because when the family name was Cruciferae, the word cruciferous was used to include all plants in the family, not just the edible species that we call “cruciferous vegetables,” which helps explain the common use of the word in the chart above.
What is the scientific name of Crucifera?
A plant in the mustard family. [Late Latin : Latin crux, cruc-, cross + Latin -fer, -fer. Sense 2, from New Latin Cruciferae, alternative scientific name of the mustard family, from Late Latin crucifer (from the family’s crosslike four-petaled flowers typically borne at the end of stalks ).]
Is cabbage a cruciferous plant?
Cabbage plants Cruciferous vegetables are vegetables of the family Brassicaceae (also called Cruciferae) with many genera, species, and cultivars being raised for food production such as cauliflower, cabbage, kale, garden cress, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mustard plant and similar green leaf vegetables.