Brassicaceae, also called Cruciferae, Peter Pressleinthe mustard family, of the order Brassicales, a large assemblage of 338 genera and some 3,710 species of mostly herbaceous plants with peppery-flavoured leaves. The family includes many plants of economic importance that have been extensively altered and domesticated by humans. The members’ flowers are in the form of a Greek cross, with four petals, usually white, yellow, or lavender, and an equal number of sepals. There are four long and two short stamens and a two-chambered ovary positioned above the other flower parts. The seeds are produced in podlike fruits and often have a mucilaginous coating that swells when wetted.
The most important genus is Brassica, with about 40 Old World species and including the cabbages, mustards, and rapes. One species, B. oleracea, has many edible varieties, such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and kohlrabi. B. rapa is the turnip, and B. napobrassica is the Swedish turnip, or rutabaga. B. napus is the rape plant. The leaves of B. napus are used in salads and for cattle forage, and the seeds are added to birdseed mixtures and also are pressed for canola oil. The species B. pekinensis and B. chinensis are Chinese cabbage. The seeds of B. juncea are the source of the condiment mustard. Oil is derived from the seeds of B. campestris (sometimes considered B. rapa), B. hirta, and B. juncea. Black mustard (B. nigra) seeds were formerly another source of table mustard. The plant, native in Eurasia and naturalized in North America, is a widespread weed.
The radish (Raphanus sativus), a popular root vegetable, also has a variety with long, edible pods (R. sativus variety caudatus). Scurvy grass (Cochlearia officinalis), native to the North Temperate Zone, is the source of a medicine used in the treatment of scurvy. It has tarry-flavoured leaves that are used in salads. The pungent condiment known as horseradish is made from the long, hard root of Armoracia lapathifolia, a European herb. Tansy mustard (Descurainia pinnata) is a widely distributed North American annual weed with feathery foliage and yellow to white flowers.
Ornamental genera in the family include such varied plants as basket-of-gold (Aurinia), sweet alyssum (Lobularia), candytuft (Iberis), honesty (Lunaria), rose of Jericho (Anastatica), stock (Matthiola), and wallflower (Cheiranthus). Purple rock cress (Aubrieta deltoidea) is a popular rock garden and border plant.