UTILIZATION AND COMPOSITION OF ORIENTAL VEGETABLES 31 
"YVhite-Mustabi) Cabbage (Brassica chhun.sis). (Fig. 28) 
Chinese name: Bak-choi 
Japanese name : iShirona 
Head: Loose, not compact. 
Leaf: Smooth and green ; broadly obovate and entire, glossy, firm, scallop 
edged : 6 to 8 inches long ; 4 to 6 inches broad. 
Petiole: Fleshy, glossy, white; 4 to 7 inches long; one-half to 1% inches wide. 
Of all the Orient-grown vegetables, white-mustard cabbage is per- 
haps the best known by people of the Occident. The plant is a gen- 
eral favorite because of the pleasing taste of its petioles and its at- 
tractive appearance. White-mustard cabbage is a native of Asia. 
Figure 27. —Water dropwort 
Four forms of white-mustard cabbage are found on the market. 
The first, a flowering variety known as bak-choi-sum, is slender and 
has long, round, narrow petioles and narrow leaves and tops which 
bear buds or yellow blossoms in profusion. The second form, the 
Japanese variety known as shakushina on the market, is tall and has 
long, slender, white petioles and oval Leaves. The third form is stout 
and has luxuriant leaves and fleshy petioles but no flower buds or 
blossoms. The fourth form, known as bak-choi-chai, is the seedling 
stage of the three above-mentioned forms and is the result of thinning 
the plants. 
To make white-mustard cabbage soup, prepare like leaf-mustard 
cabbage. 
