And herbaceous plants (wild flowers),
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colored laminated key tables, including: woody plants (trees in winter, trees in summer, shrubs in winter and shrubs in summer), herbaceous plants (flowers of forests, meadows and fields, reservoirs and swamps and primroses), as well as mushrooms, algae, lichens and mosses ,
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colored determinants herbaceous plants (wild flowers) of central Russia (Ventana-Graf publishing house), as well as
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methodical benefits and 40
educational and methodological films on methodologies conducting research work in nature (in the field).
cruciferous family - BRASSICACEAE, or CRUCIFERAE
The family contains up to 380 genera and about 3200 species . They are distributed very unevenly around the globe. Mostly concentrated in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere. In the tropics, they are represented by single genera confined to mountainous areas; they are also found there as introductions and as weeds. A small number of cruciferous, growing in the southern hemisphere, has a narrow local confinement.
Cruciferous plants successfully adapt to a wide variety of habitats . Some of them are confined to the extreme conditions of the highlands, reaching the boundaries of vegetation (4500-5700 m above sea level), where, together with lichens, they are pioneers of the vegetation cover; others grow along the sea coasts; some in their distribution move far to the north and are characteristic of the Arctic regions; others are inhabitants of deserts, semi-deserts and steppes. Brassicaceae are also widely represented in forests, among steppe vegetation, in moist places and even in water, but plants of arid and dry habitats definitely predominate among them.
However, despite such high plasticity in adapting to environmental conditions, there is a relatively small variety of life forms. Most cruciferous plants are annuals or perennials. herbs, there is and dwarf shrubs , in which the lower part of the stem is woody.
Leaves cruciferous are alternate, with the lower ones often forming a basal rosette. Some species show heterophylly. Among cruciferous plants, plants are found both completely naked and pubescent with simple or forked or star-branched hairs. Multi-beamed stellate hairs often resemble scales. Glandular hairs and the so-called malpighian hairs are also involved in pubescence - prostrate, bifid, attached in the middle.
Cruciferous are characterized by apical racemose or corymbose, usually (or with rare exceptions) leafless inflorescences, which are sometimes very shortened, almost capitate, or, conversely, elongated, spicate.
flowers usually devoid of both bracts and bracts, not large, often very small, inconspicuous, but also many beautifully colored, giving the plant a great decorative effect. In their structure, they are extremely uniform. The sepals, arranged in two circles (2 each), may be saccular at the base, and in such cases nectar flows into these receptacles. There are also 4 petals, free, arranged crosswise (hence the name cruciferous). The color of the petals is dominated by yellow and white, but plants with purple, pinkish, up to purple flowers are also not uncommon. The petals are generally wider in the upper part. In most cases, they are whole or notched, but among the cruciferous there are also species with lobed, pinnately dissected and even ciliate-fringed. Stamens usually 6, arranged in 2 circles. Of these, 2 lateral (outer circle) are short, 4 median are longer. Sometimes the median ones grow together in two of their threads. In rare cases, all stamens are the same length or 3 different lengths. Their number can sometimes be reduced to 4 and even up to 2, or reaches 16. In a number of species, the stamens are equipped with appendages, or their filaments grow in the form of teeth and wings. Gynoecium of 2 carpels. A false septum is formed along the seam of the fusion of the carpels, dividing the ovary into 2 nests. Usually the ovary is sessile, but in some species it sits on a rather long gynophore. The structural features of the ovules play an important role in the taxonomy of cruciferous plants. The cotyledons are usually flat, but they can also be folded lengthwise, like cabbage, less often folded across, or spirally twisted ( sverbiga - Bunias). According to the location of the root of the embryo in relation to the cotyledons, they are marginal and dorsal.
Cruciferous are adapted to both cross pollination
, so to self-pollination
. The main pollinators are flies, bees, bumblebees; some species are pollinated at night by butterflies. Bees are attracted to the smell of honey species, as well as the most colorful flowers. Those species in which the flowers are small, inconspicuous, are visited mainly by flies. Attracting insects is also achieved by color contrasts, sometimes arising in the process of flowering and fruiting.
Cross-pollination in cruciferous plants is ensured by their inherent dichogamy. Most of them are characterized by protogyny, protandry is extremely rare. In cases where cross-pollination cannot occur for any reason (heavy rains, extreme heat, lack of pollinators), crucifers pollinate due to the ability to self-pollinate (autogamy). The mechanism of combined pollination can be observed, for example, in meadow core
(Cardamine pratense). At the beginning of flowering, the anthers of long stamens turn outward, as a result of which their pollen does not fall on the stigma of its flower, but can stick to the sides of pollinating insects that penetrate deep into the flower to the base of the stamens for nectar. However, if the stigma was not pollinated by foreign pollen, then by the end of flowering it is pollinated by short stamens, which during this time reach the same level with it. In inclement weather, when there are no insects, the anthers of long stamens do not turn away and pollinate the stigma of their flower. Among the cruciferous plants, there are also such plants in which, at the beginning of flowering, the stamens completely deviate outwards, and then rise, bring the anthers closer to the stigma and pollinate it. However, only one stamen empties pollen onto its stigma, the rest of the anthers open later, saving the pollen for cross-pollination.
If the structure of all other organs of the cruciferous is rather uniform, then this cannot be said about them. fruits, whose structural features are most widely used in the taxonomy of the family. Elongated fruits, the length of which significantly exceeds the width, are called pods, while the short ones are called pods. Both of them can be drop-down two doors or non-open. In opening fruits, after the valves fall off, a frame remains on the stalks, constricted by a false partition. In non-opening pods, the valves are often strongly compacted and the pods become nut-shaped. Of particular interest are two-membered fruits, consisting of an upper, always non-opening segment and a lower opening or non-opening one. In some cases, the upper segment is seedless, in others the lower, in most cases both segments contain seeds. Among the two-membered fruits, pods or pods are also distinguished. Cruciferous fruits also vary greatly in size, shape of valves and various outgrowths on them.
To dissemination
fruits
and
seeds cruciferous adapted quite diversely. Many of them are anemochores. These are mainly species with winged or blister-like fruits, many species with small, light seeds that are easily carried by the wind, or with seeds trimmed with a wing. Sometimes the upper segments of two-membered fruits fall off together with one of the valves of the lower segment or with part of the septum, which also increases the windage.
Among the cruciferous there are also a number of species that have hook-shaped outgrowths on the fruits. Because of this, they cling to the hair of animals and are carried by them. In some cases, the seeds are scattered due to the "efforts" of the plant itself.
Most cruciferous with hard-to-open fruits are characterized by hygrochasia. The seeds of non-opening fruits, protected from adverse conditions by a dense case, germinate only after it rots. For many species adapted to dry conditions, mucilage of the seed coat (myxospermia) is characteristic. The smallest soil particles stick to the mucus, which fix the seeds and protect them from drifting into unusual environmental conditions.
One of the features of many cruciferous plants, which significantly increases their adaptive capabilities, is heterocarpy in its most diverse manifestations. In some cases, the parts of the fetus differ (heteroarthrocarpy), as is observed in many species with two-membered fruits, in other cases, the fruits are entirely. Heterocarp provides combined methods of distribution, as well as more reliable preservation of seeds and the possibility of their germination under changing conditions.
No less interesting in cruciferous is another type of heterocarp - amphicarp. At the same time, along with the usual opening pods of the apical inflorescence, basal cleistogamous flowers develop, which, burrowing into the ground, form numerous one-seeded non-opening pods (geocarp). At the same time, above-ground inflorescences in unfavorable years often do not reach fruiting, while underground fruits always ripen.
Economic importance
cruciferous is hard to overestimate. Vegetable, oil-bearing, forage and honey crops are among them the most widely known, but the main role belongs, of course, to cabbage in all its variety of varieties. Cabbage was cultivated in prehistoric times, and the first information about it dates back to the Neolithic. Many researchers, starting with C. Darwin, believe that all currently existing cultivated forms of cabbage come from a wild-growing form of garden cabbage ( Brassica oleracea), others - from considered as an independent type of forest cabbage ( Brassica sylvestris), still others associate them with a number of Mediterranean species. Not a single plant for several millennia has provided man with such extensive material for selection as cabbage. The most popular is garden cabbage, many forms and varieties of which are cultivated on all continents. Of these, cabbage is the main food plant in countries of temperate latitudes. The taste qualities of varieties such as kohlrabi, cauliflower and its varieties of broccoli are undeniable. Many local varieties are especially preferred by the population of certain countries. So, one of the oldest cultivated plants cultivated in China and Japan is Chinese cabbage ( B. chinensis) and Chinese cabbage ( B. pekinensis).
As vegetable plants among cruciferous, various varieties of radish and radish are also widely known ( Raphanus sativus), like spicy seasonings - horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) and sarepta mustard ( Brassica juncea). One of the cultivated horticultural crops is watercress, which is grown on a large scale in the Caucasus. A number of wild-growing cruciferous plants are also used as a salad, such as, for example, colza, or colza , ordinary (Barbarea vulgaris), watercress ( Nasturtium officinale) and many others, and shepherd's bag, or shepherd's bag (Capsella bursa-pastoris
) has been bred as a vegetable in China for over 100 years. Young shoots and petioles of sea katran leaves, or seaweed ( Crambe Maritime), often eaten like asparagus.
A number of cultivated oilseeds are of great economic importance. Of these, in temperate latitudes, the most productive oil plant is rapeseed, the seeds of which contain up to 50% oil. It has a purely technical application - it is used for hardening steels, after special treatment it vulcanizes well, forming a rubbery mass (factis), which is used to soften hard rubbers and make pencil erasers. Sarepta mustard oil has food applications, mainly in the confectionery and baking industries and in the manufacture of margarine and canned food, and the powder (cake) is table mustard.
Valuable fodder plants such as swede ( Brassica napus var. napobrassica), turnips and turnips ( Brassica tare), also belong to the cruciferous family. In addition, fodder cabbage, rapeseed and bee bread (a hybrid of rapeseed and fodder cabbage) are sown as green fodder.
Due to the high content of vitamins, especially vitamin C, many cruciferous plants are widely used in traditional medicine. Shepherd's purse, one of the most popular plants in Tibetan and Chinese medicine, has a strong hemostatic effect. Many wild-growing species are highly decorative, which deserve special attention. At the same time, among the cruciferous there are malicious weeds that require a special control regime.
All angiosperms (flowering) plants are divided into monocots and dicots. The first class includes such families as lily, onion, cereal, orchid, palm, aroid, sedge. The second includes all the rest, for example, rosaceous, magnolia, pumpkin, walnut, birch and so on. Plants belonging to each of the classes mentioned have individual features in their structure.
The place of cruciferous in the classification of living beings
All representatives of the cabbage family have the following position in the classification of living organisms:
Also, this family, in turn, is divided into genera. The name of the genus to which a species belongs can often be recognized from the name of the latter. For example, white cabbage belongs to the genus cabbage (rapeseed is also included in it), field mustard belongs to the genus Mustard, etc.
The main features of cruciferous plants
These plants are also called cabbage. This family has a total of about three thousand species. This includes plants such as heartwood, turnips, mustard, lettuce, horseradish and other vegetables and herbs, as well as many weeds (for example, shepherd's purse), some of which are very difficult to eradicate. The life form of representatives of this group varies from grasses to shrubs or semi-shrubs. The main features of cruciferous plants are that they all have a flower, which includes four sepals, four petals, six stamens and one pistil. The fruit of the cabbage is represented by a pod (less often - a pod or a nut), they can vary in size and shape. Their seeds are rich in oils and spread mainly by wind. Cruciferous plants with a fruit in the form of a pod include shepherd's purse, field yarutka and others, with a nut - dyeing woad and eastern sverbiga. Cruciferous plants, like all other dicots, have leaves with a reticulate type of venation. The root system is pivotal, that is, there is a pronounced main root and side ones growing from it. Flowers are usually collected in a brush.
Ornamental cruciferous plants
This group can be attributed to the left. has large flowers of various colors, collected in lush inflorescences, about 50 cm high. They are grown both in flowerpots and in open ground. Also included here is the wallflower, which can often be found in the garden. In addition, there are some with colored leaves, which are sometimes grown for ornamental purposes.
Poisonous plants of the cabbage family
Few people know which cruciferous plants are considered poisonous. These include the same wallflower. This plant has narrow long leaves and large, rich yellow flowers collected in inflorescences-brushes. Yellow violet juice contains toxic substances such as glycosides. When ingested, they negatively affect the circulatory system, directly on the muscles of the heart.
Cabbage in industry and agriculture
The most famous, common and frequently used cruciferous plants in rural industry are cabbage and cauliflower. They have a number of useful properties, in particular, they contain rare vitamins - U and K, and vitamins of groups B and C are also present here in large quantities. Another advantage of cabbage is the absence of sucrose and starch in it, so it can be considered a completely dietary product. . It also contains many trace elements, among which you can grab magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, iron and others. Cabbage, especially its juice, helps to effectively cleanse the body and improve the functioning of the liver and spleen (thanks to which, by the way, it is also found in turnips). Also among the cruciferous there are such as turnips, fodder cabbage, rapeseed. All of them are saturated with microelements (phosphorus, sodium, calcium), vitamin B2, contain a certain amount of proteins. Another fodder cruciferous plant is swede. In addition to the above substances, it is also rich in vitamin C, but contains fewer trace elements. For the same purposes, bee bread is used - a hybrid and rapeseed.
Still plants of the cruciferous family are widely used in agriculture as This group can be attributed primarily to rapeseed, the seeds of which are fifty percent composed of oils, as well as mustard. The oil of the first plant is used only for technical purposes, for example, when hardening steel. The second is in the food industry: in the production of canned food and margarine. As vegetable crops, in addition to cabbage, radishes and radishes are also often grown, as well as mustard, horseradish are used as a seasoning. The beneficial properties of these plants are also worth remembering. Radishes are rich in B, PP, C vitamins, calcium, iron, sodium, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus. In addition, it contains phytoncides. Horseradish contains such useful substances as vitamin C (it even contains more than lemon), PP, B, sodium, sulfur, potassium, phosphorus, iron; carotene is present in its leaves. Radish is one of the most useful vegetables, it is rich in vitamins PP, B, C, carotene, lysocin, pantothenic acid.
Vegetables from the cruciferous family are a storehouse of trace elements and vitamins. The question arises, what kind of vegetables belong to the cruciferous family, what are their benefits, and is there any harm. We will try to analyze all these aspects in this material.
Peculiarities
Cruciferous vegetables are leafy herbaceous plants. In the people, the cruciferous family is called the cabbage family. Plants got their name because of the similarity of a flower with a cross. The inflorescence itself has four petals, which resembles a cross.
Cruciferous vegetables are eaten in processed and natural form. It is advisable to choose these two types at once, alternate.
- cooking in a double boiler (5-10 minutes);
- light stewing (3-5 minutes);
- baking (10-15 minutes).
It is noteworthy that leafy vegetables are leaders among low-calorie foods, so they can be eaten without thinking about excess weight. For example, cabbage has only 28 calories, radishes have 20 calories, and spinach has 21 calories.
List of plants of the family
Cruciferous vegetables include:
- cabbage;
- horseradish;
- broccoli;
- spring colza;
- kale;
- radish;
- leaf mustard;
- rape seeds;
- romanesco broccoli;
- turnip;
- kale;
- cauliflower;
- leaf beet;
- asparagus;
- kohlrabi;
- radish;
- watercress;
- curly mustard;
- watercress;
- mustard seed;
- Chinese cabbage;
- spinach;
- daikon;
- wasabi;
- Brussels sprouts;
- arugula.
You can also add rutabaga to this list, although some experts attribute it more to forage vegetables.
Compound
Cruciferous vegetables are known for their huge amount of minerals, fiber, sugars, phytonutrients, vitamins, and organic acids. No dietary and health food is complete without cruciferous vegetables.
vitamins
Vitamin C reacts with iron and has a positive effect on joints. Moreover, it is the predominant element in the composition of collagen, which is needed for the skeletal system and skeleton. Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and turnips are the most rich in ascorbic acid.
Vitamin C is especially important for women at an age when it is necessary to monitor bone density. It has long been known that vitamin C is used to prevent herpes on the mucous membranes of the mouth. Horseradish contains 5 times more ascorbic acid than lemon and orange. Only ripe Bulgarian pepper is ahead of horseradish in terms of the content of this vitamin.
All types of cabbage contain vitamin K. It is incredibly important for the proper process of blood clotting. Vitamin K deficiency can cause persistent bruising or sudden bleeding from the gums or nasal passages.
Leafy vegetables are a rich source of B vitamins. They are indispensable for cellular metabolism, the proper functioning of the nervous system, digestion, and help stabilize sugar. Insomnia, shortness of breath, early skin aging - this is what vitamin B deficiency can contribute to.
Cellulose
An integral part of longevity is dietary fiber, also called fiber. They are not digested and are excreted unchanged. Proper digestion without fiber is impossible. It regulates the movement of food and the natural timely processes of the gastric tract. Thanks to dietary fiber, cruciferous vegetables even out blood sugar and reduce hunger.
What are the benefits of cruciferous vegetables?
The benefits of cabbage family vegetables have long been known. They are able to prevent cancerous changes and have bactericidal properties.
Cancer prevention
Broccoli is considered one hundred percent leader in usefulness among leafy vegetables. It contains components that can minimize the likelihood of cancer of the prostate, mammary glands, and female organs. Other cabbage vegetables can boast of the same features: kale, Brussels sprouts, watercress.
In the shoots of broccoli, a substance is found - isothiocyanate. Laboratory experiments were carried out on animals, which showed that the more they ate broccoli, the less they were diagnosed with bladder cancer.
Broccoli is a breast cancer fighter. However, it is important to know that boiled vegetables of the cabbage family may contain a lower concentration (30-70%) of isothiocyanate. Therefore, for the purpose of preventive measures to protect against carcinogens, vegetables should be eaten raw.
Cruciferous vegetables are able to prevent the onset of tumor modifications in organs. Excess hormone estrogen, as you know, can be a breeding ground for cancer, and cabbage family vegetables just prevent this process.
Green lettuce and white turnip have been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer in women over 50. At this age, there is more risk of hearing this diagnosis, however, choosing at least one cup of cruciferous vegetable salad, this risk will noticeably decrease. It is important to mention here the white turnip, which contains, compared to lettuce, more than 15 times more isothiocyanate.
All types of cabbage will help fight colon cancer: white cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts. To prevent prostate cancer, you need to buy cauliflower and eat it at least 4-5 times a month.
Bactericidal properties
Horseradish, mustard, wasabi and radish have pronounced bactericidal properties. The juice of these cruciferous is used in rinsing the tonsils for viral diseases and frequent sore throats.
In horseradish and radish, substances were found that prevent the reproduction of harmful microorganisms associated with caries. Phytoncides in these vegetables are volatile and kill bacteria in the air.
Who are contraindicated?
Like other foods, cruciferous vegetables have their contraindications. Let's analyze the main ones.
Stomach problems
For an unprepared person, a large amount of cruciferous vegetables eaten can harm. Especially if he eats them raw. The increased acidity of such foods and high fiber content can cause heartburn, nausea, stomach cramps, and a feeling of heaviness. If stomach problems have been identified before, and there is already gastritis or an ulcer, then it is better to use cruciferous vegetables in boiled or baked form.
Stones in the kidneys
Oxalic acid is found in leafy vegetables, which tends to influence the process of calcium absorption. It is also called oxalic acid. When oxalic acid is added to the unabsorbed mass in the kidneys, hardening can occur, leading to the formation of stones. High doses of cabbage vegetables form oxalate stones. People with kidney problems should cook these vegetables in a double boiler or simply boil them in water. This procedure minimizes the content of oxalic acid.
In addition, plants negatively affect the functioning of the thyroid gland. Excessive consumption of leafy cabbage row vegetables contributes to the development of reduced thyroid function.
With diagnosed hypofunction, it is necessary to consult an endocrinologist or therapist, and clarify to what extent various types of cabbage and cruciferous can be consumed. The optimal dose is a palm-sized serving of salad per day.
With normal daily consumption of leafy vegetables, there are no troubles.
Harmful influences cannot be avoided if they are eaten in colossal doses. No wonder they say that everything is good in moderation.
It is also worth remembering that heat treatment destroys most of the vitamins. That is why it is better to boil vegetables for no longer than five minutes or steam them. Only then can the full nutritional value of the products be preserved.
For cruciferous vegetables, see the video below.
Knowing the habits of representatives of one family and the list of plants belonging to this family makes gardening much easier. Indeed, because botanists united them into communities, that, as a rule, such plants have the same requirements for soils, lighting, watering, and temperature conditions. And the enemies that threaten their health and crops are the same.
Cruciferous family
The family got its name for the shape of the corolla of a flower with four petals. Most often, these petals are arranged in such a way that they look at all four sides, forming a regular cross.True, today the family began to be called " Cabbage”, thus paying tribute to the main vegetable, which is included in the diet of different peoples, regardless of skin color and religion, and therefore is a unifying link for Humanity.
Culturally popular cruciferous
The popularity of individual plant species of the family is a changeable thing. Some species, which were the staple food of entire nations, are being replaced over time by others. We list some of them:* Cabbage It's not called the "vegetable of the world" for nothing. Man began to "tame" wild cabbage 5 thousand years ago. In the wild, today it can be found on the mountain slopes of the Mediterranean, and in cultivated plantings - throughout the globe.
For a long partnership with man, cabbage has unrecognizably changed, giving life to a variety of species. These are miniature heads of Brussels sprouts and many-kilogram heads of white-headed beauty; funny heads of kohlrabi; fleshy cauliflower and broccoli florets.
Everyone knows the vitamin qualities of cabbage, and the healing juice is able to defeat stomach ulcers.
* Turnip- the fate of turnips is amazing. Being the "second bread" for Europeans and Russians, it was supplanted by an assertive newcomer from America, the potato. Offended, she moved across the ocean, and today the leader in growing turnips is the United States of America.
* Radish- bitter by nature, after the witchcraft of breeders, it turned into a juicy radish, and in Japan they grow even a sweet radish, which is distinguished by its large size (up to 16 kg in weight).
* Horseradish- which is not sweeter than the previous vegetable, but is a favorite seasoning for dishes, for which you do not have to travel across three seas.
* Oil plants- in addition to the listed vegetables, among the Cruciferous there are plants that give a person vegetable oil. This is known to all mustard, lesser known rape and colza growing in vegetable gardens as a weed. By the way, Sarepta mustard, cultivated in our country, was also once considered a weed, littering flax plantations. So, “weed” is the temporary status of a plant, to which the hands and mind of a person have not yet reached.
* Ornamental plants- the family, numbering more than 3 thousand species, could not do without ornamental plants. Among them are old acquaintances of gardeners, and there are also rare plants that are slowly disappearing from the face of the Earth not without the “help” of man. Let's love some of them:
** Lunnik, used in the old days for medicinal purposes, and therefore rarely found in nature today. By the way, the perennial Lunnik is an excellent ornamental plant for shady areas of the garden.
** Iberis- a plant with very beautiful and fragrant flowers. It is also interesting in that the people who inhabited the present day 5 thousand years ago continue to live in its name. Iberian peninsula, once called " Iberian”, and “dissolved” among the invaders of these lands, which at different times were different. In such an unusual way, the destinies of peoples and plants are sometimes intertwined. (More information about the plant here -).
Cruciferous (lat. Cruciferae) or Cabbage (lat. Brassicaceae). These include dicotyledonous free-leaved plants. Sometimes you can find shrubs and semi-shrubs, but most often it is still herbs.
Plants of the cruciferous family most often grow in the Northern Hemisphere. In total there are more than three thousand species (about 350 genera).
Main features
Existing groups of plants that are part of the cruciferous family resemble each other in the structure of the flower and fruit. Such a herbaceous plant is distinguished by the presence of a calyx, consisting of 4 sepals, a corolla with 4 free petals placed crosswise. In addition, there is one pistil and six stamens. Leaves entire or dissected, simple, without stipules. The size of the upper and lower leaves is almost always different. Various plant organs, including leaves, often differ in the presence of glandular hairs.
Most often you can find a herbaceous plant of the cruciferous family, since most of the representatives of this family are just herbaceous.
Most of these plants have elements with a sharp taste and a persistent smell.
List of such plants: radish, horseradish, mustard.
There are also those that contain: sulfur, oils, vitamins. This is cabbage and others.
Despite the fact that among them there are medicinal plants, as well as vegetable, spicy, oilseed, ornamental and honey plants, there are also weeds.
The most famous genera of this family are: Cabbage, Wasabi, Mustard, Radish, Ikotnik, Zheltushnik, Ryzhik, Levkoy, Goldweed, Zherukha, Katran, Lunnik, Shepherd's Purse.
Plants of the cruciferous family have small or even small flowers. The flowers make up the inflorescence raceme. The brushes pass into the main stem, as well as into the branches. The flowers are most often white and yellow, in some cases pink and other shades. There are six stamens in total - four elongated and two short. Ovary with two nests, each of which contains ovules placed at the seams.
The fruit is a short pod or an elongated pod. There are no stipules, and the leaves are placed alternately. When the fruit ripens, the sashes are destroyed, it bursts at the seams, but the frame is preserved. Seeds with a crooked oily germ and no protein in them.
In cruciferous there are caustic juices in varying degrees and a lot of sulfur. And when they rot, there is an unpleasant smell of hydrogen sulfide.
Among the cruciferous, there are also those that have healing properties.
Such a plant is. First of all, most people remember mustard plasters, which are known to everyone as an excellent remedy for gout, sciatica and rheumatism. Mustard alcohol is also used for dislocations, sprains, muscle pain, and rheumatism. In addition, they are also prescribed for catarrh of the bronchi.
20% pork fat is added to mustard plasters for children.
In addition, mustard is also a popular seasoning. It allows you to absorb fatty foods, has a positive effect on digestion.
Hot, spicy, soft or sweet mustard is offered.
Another plant with useful properties is. It is recommended to use it in the spring as a remedy that purifies the blood. In addition, it is recommended to use it for diseases of the biliary system and liver. In case of diabetes, it is advised to drink this herb as a tea.
Brassica oleracea is one of the best known cruciferous plants. She is two years old. In the first year of development, the stem and leaves appear. Then you need to plant cabbage heads to get seeds. Stems grow up to 60-120 cm.
The lower leaves are lyre-shaped, petiolate. Upper - oblong, sessile, dentate. Covers the leaves with a wax coating. The flowers are light yellow in color, are in rare elongated racemes. Erect sepals and stamens. Pods are knotty, erect, elongated. Seeds are smooth, brownish in color, ball-shaped. Cabbage is divided into a variety of varieties and varieties that have many dissimilar features.
Turnip is both fodder (fodder turnip, turnip) and vegetable biennial plant.
Rutabaga is a vegetable and fodder biennial plant with a wrinkled root surface.
Rape has a thin root and is an annual. The seeds contain a large amount of fatty oil. There is winter and spring. It is a close relative of the swede and can also grow as a weed.
The garden is cultivated both as and as a radish. This is a popular vegetable plant.
Nut-bearing cruciferous include, for example,. It can often be seen in fallow fields, near roads. It is a large biennial plant with a spear-shaped base, a triangular upper lobe and a branched stem. Flowers melliferous, yellow. Fruits are ball-shaped, two-celled and with two seeds.