Changes

'''== Major taxa and synonyms''' Cv. group names are proposed here. * Cv. group Brussels Sprouts. Synonym: ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''gemmifera'' DC. (1821). * Cv. groups Cauliflower & Broccoli. Synonyms: ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''botrytis'' L. (cauliflower), ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''italica'' Plenck (broccoli) - see separate article.  * Cv. group Chinese Kale. Synonym: ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''alboglabra'' (L.H. Bailey) Musil - see separate article. * Cv. groups of other Kales. Synonym: ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''acephala'' DC. (1821). Many groups are distinguished, e.g. cv. group Borecole or Curly Kale (syn.: var. ''sabellica'' L. (1753), var. ''laciniata'' L. (1753); cv. group Collard (syn.: var. ''viridis'' L. (1753), var. ''plana'' Peterm. (1838); cv. group Marrowstem Kale (syn.: var. ''medullosa'' Thellung (1918); cv. group Palmtree Kale (syn.: var. ''palmifolia'' DC. (1821); cv. group Portuguese Kale (syn.: var. ''costata'' DC. (1821); cv. group Thousand-headed Kale (syn.: var. ''ramosa'' DC. (1821), var. ''millecapitata'' (Lév.) Helm (1959).==

* Cv. group Kohlrabi. Synonym: ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''gongylodes'' L. (1753)names are proposed here.

* Cv. group Brussels Sprouts. Synonym: ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''gemmifera'' DC. (1821).* Cv. groups Cauliflower & Broccoli. Synonyms: ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''botrytis'' L. (cauliflower), ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''italica'' Plenck (broccoli) - [[Brassica oleracea Cauliflower (PROSEA)|see separate article]].* Cv. group Chinese Kale. Synonym: ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''alboglabra'' (L.H. Bailey) Musil - [[Brassica oleracea Chinese Kale (PROSEA)|see separate article]].* Cv. groups of other Kales. Synonym: ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''acephala'' DC. (1821). Many groups are distinguished, e.g. cv. group Borecole or Curly Kale (syn.: var. ''sabellica'' L. (1753), var. ''laciniata'' L. (1753); cv. group Collard (syn.: var. ''viridis'' L. (1753), var. ''plana'' Peterm. (1838); cv. group Marrowstem Kale (syn.: var. ''medullosa'' Thellung (1918); cv. group Palmtree Kale (syn.: var. ''palmifolia'' DC. (1821); cv. group Portuguese Kale (syn.: var. ''costata'' DC. (1821); cv. group Thousand-headed Kale (syn.: var. ''ramosa'' DC. (1821), var. ''millecapitata'' (Lév.) Helm (1959).* Cv. group Kohlrabi. Synonym: ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''gongylodes'' L. (1753).* Cv. groups White Headed Cabbage, Red Headed Cabbage and Savoy Headed Cabbage. Synonyms: ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''capitata'' L. (white and red cabbage), ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''sabauda'' L. (savoy cabbage) - [[Brassica oleracea Headed Cabbage (PROSEA)|see separate article]].

*General: *Cole crops (En).

* Cv. group Brussels Sprouts: *Brussels sprouts (En). *Chou de Bruxelles (Fr)

* Cv. groups of Kales: *Kale (En). *Chou vert (Fr)

* Cv. group Kohlrabi: *Kohlrabi, turnip kale (En). *Chou -rave (Fr)

Wild cabbage ( ''B. oleracea'' L. var. ''oleracea'' ) is indigenous to the Mediterranean region, south-western Europe, and southern England where it grows on sea cliffs. It was brought into cultivation about 5000 years ago and gave rise to numerous cultivated forms, varying widely in vegetative morphology. Probably other wild species (e.g. ''B. cretica'' Lamk, ''B. insularis'' Moris and ''B. rupestris'' Raf.) were also involved in the origin of the present-day richness of forms and cultivars of ''B. oleracea'' . Cole crops are cultivated all over the world, but are most important in temperate climates.

Kales are ancient cole crops, closely related to the wild forms of ''B.'' ''oleracea'' . Many distinctive types were developed in Europe such as thousand-headed kale, marrowstem kale, collards and curly kale, the latter two being the most important as vegetables.

*Very polymorphous, annual or biennial, erect herb, up to 1.5 m tall, glabrous, often much branched in upper part. Stem usually subterete, sometimes much thickened, pruinose. *Leaves variable, lower ones usually petioled; leaf-blade lyrate or obovate, subentire or undulate, more or less deeply and irregularly lobed, very variable in shape, colour, size and thickness. *Inflorescence racemiform or paniculiform, up to 1(-2) m long, racemes 20-40-flowered, lax, terminal; flowers rather large, pedicel up to 2 cm long, buds raised far above the expanded flowers; sepals 4, erect; petals 4, about twice as long as the sepals, oblong-spathulate, 1.5-2 cm long; stamens 6, erect. *Fruit a stalked silique, cylindrical, 5-10 cm × 0.2-0.5 cm, with a tapering beak. *Seed globose, 2-4 mm in diameter, grey-black to red-brown.

* Cv. groups of Kalesgroup Brussels Sprouts: A very variable group of forms, morphologically most closely related Biennial with simple erect stem up to wild 1 m tall. Axillary buds develop into compact miniature cabbage. Stem coarseheads or sprouts, neither branched nor markedly thickened, 30-100 about 3 cm longin diameter. At the apex On top of the stem is a rosette of leaves. Leaves generally oblong, sometimes red-coloured leaves occurspetiolate; sometimes the leaves are curled (caused by disproportionate rapid growth of leaf tissue along the margins). In borecole or curly kale the leaves are crinkled and more or less finely divided, often green or brownish-purpleblade rather small, and they are used as vegetable. Collards have smooth leaves, usually green; they are most important as forage in western Europe. Marrowstem kale has a succulent stem, up to 2 m tall, which is mainly used as forage in western Europe. Palmtree kale is up to 2 m tall, with a rosette of leaves at the apex; it is mainly used as an ornamental. Portuguese kale has leaves with succulent midribs which are used as a vegetable. Thousand-headed kale bears a whorl of young shoots at some distance above the soil, together more or less globular in outline; it is mainly used as foragesubcircular.

* Cv. groups of Kales: A very variable group of forms, morphologically most closely related to wild cabbage. Stem coarse, neither branched nor markedly thickened, 30-100 cm long. At the apex of the stem a rosette of generally oblong, sometimes red-coloured leaves occurs; sometimes the leaves are curled (caused by disproportionate rapid growth of leaf tissue along the margins). In borecole or curly kale the leaves are crinkled and more or less finely divided, often green or brownish-purple, and they are used as vegetable. Collards have smooth leaves, usually green; they are most important as forage in western Europe. Marrowstem kale has a succulent stem, up to 2 m tall, which is mainly used as forage in western Europe. Palmtree kale is up to 2 m tall, with a rosette of leaves at the apex; it is mainly used as an ornamental. Portuguese kale has leaves with succulent midribs which are used as a vegetable. Thousand-headed kale bears a whorl of young shoots at some distance above the soil, together more or less globular in outline; it is mainly used as forage. * Cv. group Kohlrabi: Biennial in which secondary thickening of the short stem produces the spherical edible portion, 5-10 cm in diameter, green or purple. Leaves glaucous with slender petioles, arranged in a compressed spiral on the swollen stem.

The enormous variability of cultivated Brassicas and the uncertainty about their exact origin led to numerous classifications and a confusing botanical nomenclature. At present, the cultivated 2 ''n'' = 18 ''Brassica'' group is generally considered to belong to one species: ''B. oleracea'' , including e.g. white, red and savoy cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi and different kinds of kale. Usually those subunits are classified as botanical varieties and forms (e.g. white and red cabbage as var. ''capitata'' L., savoy cabbage as var. ''sabauda'' L.), but there is no general agreement. Below species level it seems better to classify directly into cultivar groups and cultivars.

Brussels sprouts and kales are the hardiest of the cole crops, withstanding temperatures of -10°C10 °C, but also high summer temperatures. The vernalization requirements for flower induction (varying periods at low temperatures, depending on the cultivar) are usually not met in tropical areas. Seed vernalization, however, is possible in certain kohlrabi cultivars. It involves storing germinated seed for 35-50 days at -1°C1 °C. Other kohlrabi cultivars lack a juvenile phase and premature bolting is a problem; it is probably caused by exposure of plants to temperatures below 10°C10 °C. High temperatures tend to affect the compactness of the axillary buds of Brussels sprouts, resulting in loose-leafed buds. In kohlrabi, high temperatures, as well as shade and ample nitrogen, favour the formation of elongated swollen stems.

*P.C.M. Jansen, J.S. Siemonsma & J.O. Narciso