Scientific Name:
Brassica rapa
var.
rapa
Pronunciation:
BRAS-ee-ka RAY-puh
Common Name:
turnip
Family Name:
Brassicaceae
Plant Type:
Biennial
Key ID Features:
Top of a swollen white to purplish storage tap root usually partially visible above the soil; leaves basal with long petioles, blades obovate 20-30cm long x 8-15cm wide, margins highly variable; panicle of yellow flowers in second year.
Habit:
Upright
Form:
Pyramidal - widely
Texture:
Coarse
Mature Height:
0.4 - 0.7m
Mature Spread:
0.6 - 1.0m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Central / west Asia
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 3: (-40 to -34 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Urban agriculture
Additional Info:
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Basal
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Obovate
Apices:
Rounded
Bases:
Attenuate
Margins:
Crenate, Dentate, Incised, Undulate (wavy)
Inflorescence Type:
Panicle
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
4
Corolla Shape:
Cruciform
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Yellow
Flower Time at Peak:
Jul, Aug
Fruit Type:
Silique
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Sep, Oct
Bark or Stem Colour:
Green
Organ Modifications:
Storage tap root
Propagation:
Seed
Pest Susceptibility:
Aphids, Beetles or weevils, Caterpillar or cutworm, Diptera - true flies, Whitefly (Drought tolerant)
