Takana (Leaf Mustard)🌼

A winter annual in the cabbage family, a cultivated form of mustard (Brassica juncea). Leaves grow 20–60 cm long. Native to Central Asia; cited in the Heian-era dictionary 'Wamyōshō'. Its pungency comes from allyl isothiocyanate — the same compound as mustard. Cultivated in Fukuoka (Miike-takana), Wakayama, and inland Yamagata. Pickled as 'takana-zuke' — one of Japan's three great pickled greens alongside nozawana and hiroshimana.

Identification Points

• ✓Large leaves 20–60 cm long, green to reddish-purple
• ✓Plant rising from a rosette of basal leaves
• ✓In season in winter; leaves have a mustard-like pungency

Morphological TraitsAI-estimated, needs verification

Phylogenetic Positionアブラナ科 →