28 
VII. CRUCIFERS 
This Order contains a number of useful cultivated plants ; the following 
sometimes occur as escapes near villages and are the modified descendants of 
wild species indigenous in Europe or temperate Asia. 
Brassica . 1 Erect, usually annual herbs. Flowers bright yellow, in corymbs, 
elongating in fruit into erect racemes. Pods usually erect or spreading, 
normally 2-valved, more or less constricted between the seeds, prolonged beyond 
the valves in a seedless beak. The following species are cultivated in Upper 
India. 
1. Brassica rugosa, Prain, var. typica, Prain ; FI. Br. Bid. i. 157, under 
B.juncea, in part. — Stem short at first, when in flower 4-6 ft., branched. Basal 
leaves persistent, numerous, crowded, obovate, 12-15 x 8-9 in., stalk 8-4 in. ; 
stem-leaves similar but smaller, sessile, not stem -clasping. Flowers f in. 
diam. Pods 1^-1^ in. long including the beak ; beak narrowly conical, J in. 
Seeds 14-20 in a pod. — A cold weather crop in the W. (at least as far as 
Kumaon), Central and E. Himalaya. — Cabbage Mustard. Native name 
Pahari rai. ' 
2. Brassica juncea, Hook. f. & Thoms. ; FI. Br. Bid. i. 157, in part. — Stem 
3-6 ft., much branched. Leaves large, pinnatifid, without basal lobes, terminal 
lobe much the largest : blade of the basal leaves 6-8 x 2-4 in., toothed ; upper 
leaves 2-2^ x ^ in., entire. Flowers ^ in. diam. Pods 2^-2^ in. including the 
beak ; beak narrowly conical, nearly ^ in. Seeds about 40 in a pod. — A cold 
weather crop in the plains and lower Himalaya. — Indian Mustard. Native 
name Asl rai. 
3. Brassica campestris, Linn. var. Sarson, Prain ; FI. Br. Bid. i. 156, 
under B. campestris, sub-sp. Napus, in part. — Stem 4-5 ft., unbranched or 
branching only near the top. Leaves glaucous, all (except the lowest 2 or 3) 
with stem-clasping, basal lobes : lower leaves pinnatipartite, 6-8 x 2-3 in., 
terminal lobe much the largest ; upper leaves oblong or lanceolate, 2J-3 in., 
more or less sinuately pinnatifid. Flowers nearly \ in. diam. Pods various, 
erect or pendent, sometimes 3- or 4-valved ; erect pods 2 in., pendent pods 
3-3J in. long including the beak ; beak conical, up to 1 in. Seeds 30-80 in a 
pod. — A cold weather crop in the plains, and hills up to 6000 ft.— Indian 
■Colza. Native name Sarson. 
4. Brassica Napus, Linn., var. dichotoma, Prain ; FI. Br. Ind. i. 156, 
under B. campestris, sub-sp. Napus, in part. — Stem 1-4 ft., much branched. 
Leaves small, all (except the lowest 2 or 3) with stem-clasping, basal lobes : 
basal leaves not more than 4x2 in., more or less pinnatifid, terminal lobe 
much the largest ; upper leaves triangular-lanceolate, 1-2 x §-§• in., entire. 
Flowers about \ in. diam. Pods 2-2J in. long including the beak ; beak coni- 
cal, rather more than \ in. Seeds about 20 in a pod. — A cold weather crop in 
the plains, a spring crop in the Himalaya. — Indian Rape. Native name Tori 
or Lahi. 
The common ‘ drum head cabbage ’ with its varieties of cauliflower, broccoli, 
Brussels sprouts, kohl-rabi, knol-khol, etc. is believed to be derived from B. 
oleracea indigenous on the S.W. coasts of Europe including Britain. 
The Radish, Baphanus sativus, Linn. ; FI. Br. Ind. i. 166 is also cultivated. 
Leaves pinnate or pinnatifid, terminal leaflet or lobe very broad. Flowers 
1 The descriptions in this genus have been compiled from a valuable paper 
by Surgeon-Major 1). Prain, Superintendent of the Royal Botanic Gardens, 
•Calcutta, entitled A Note on the Mustards cultivated in Bengal. Bengal 
Secretariat Press, 1898. 
