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Rocket / ArugulaπΌ
Eruca vesicaria
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An annual in the mustard family, native to the Mediterranean. Cultivated as food and medicine since ancient Rome, and a classic Italian salad and pizza green. Its Japanese name is 'kibana-suzushiro' ('yellow-flower radish'). The distinctive sesame-like flavour and mild pungency come from glucosinolates. Introduced widely to Japan in the 1990s and now an easy home-garden crop. The 4-petaled cruciform flowers are white to pale cream; the young leaves are harvested for eating.
Identification Points
- βPinnately lobed leaves with a sesame-like flavour
- βWhite to pale cream 4-petaled cruciform flowers
- β20β100 cm tall
Habitat
Cultivated (fields, home gardens)
Season
April to June (flowers); year-round (leaves)
Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf type
Simple
Growth form
Herb
Petal count
4 petals
Flower color
White
Flowering season
Spring
Habitat
Cultivated
Phylogenetic Positionγ’γγ©γη§ β
Phylogenetic Position
Angiosperms > Eudicots > Core eudicots > Brassicales > Brassicaceae
Divergence Era
Late Cretaceous to Paleogene
Sources & References
AI-generated, needs verification