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cabbage,leafy garden vegetable of many widely dissimilar varieties, all probably descended from the wild, or sea, cabbage (Brassica oleracea) of the family Cruciferae (or Brassicaceae; mustardmustard,
common name for the Cruciferae, or Brassicaceae, a large family chiefly of herbs of north temperate regions. The easily distinguished flowers of the Cruciferae have four petals arranged diagonally ("cruciform") and alternating with the four sepals.
..... Click the link for more information. family), found on the coasts of Europe. It is used for food for man and stock, mostly in Europe and North America. Well-known varieties of the species include the cabbages, broccolibroccoli
[Ital.,=sprouts], variety of cabbage grown for the edible immature flower panicles. It is the same variety (Brassica oleracea botrytis) as the cauliflower and is similarly cultivated.
..... Click the link for more information. , Brussels sproutsBrussels sprouts,
variety (gemmifera) of cabbage producing small edible heads (sprouts) along the stem. It is cultivated like cabbage and was first developed in Belgium and France in the 18th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. , cauliflowercauliflower
, variety of cabbage, with an edible head of condensed flowers and flower stems. Broccoli is the horticultural variety (botrytis); both were cultivated in Roman times.
..... Click the link for more information. , collards, kalekale,
, and collards,
common names for nonheading, hardy types of cabbage (var. acephala and sometimes others), with thick stems and curly leaves, belonging to the family Cruciferae (or Brassicaceae; mustard family).
..... Click the link for more information. , and kohlrabikohlrabi
[Ger. partly from Ital.,=turnip cabbage], plant (Brassica caulorapa, sometimes classified as var. caulorapa of the cabbage species) of the family Cruciferae (or Brassicaceae; mustard family), with an edible, turniplike, swollen stem.
..... Click the link for more information. . All grow best in cool, moist climates. They are attacked mostly by insect pests. The true cabbages (var. capitata) include the white and red types and the Savoy type (grown mostly in Europe), with curly, loose leaves. Inexpensive and easily stored, cabbage is important in the diet of many poorer peoples. Popular cabbage dishes include sauerkraut and slaw (raw cabbage). Chinese cabbage, or petsai, chiefly a salad plant, is a separate species (B. pekinensis) grown in many varieties, especially in East Asia. Cabbages with multicolored leaves are becoming popular as ornamental border plants for flower gardens. Cabbages are classified in the division MagnoliophytaMagnoliophyta
, division of the plant kingdom consisting of those organisms commonly called the flowering plants, or angiosperms. The angiosperms have leaves, stems, and roots, and vascular, or conducting, tissue (xylem and phloem).
..... Click the link for more information. , class Magnoliopsida, order Capparales (or Brassicales), family Cruciferae (or Brassicaceae).
What does it mean when you dream about cabbage?
The state of this vegetable in the dream determines whether it is a good or bad portent. If rotting and with a bad odor, it may represent old, stagnating conditions in the dreamer’s environment or emotional state. Fresh cabbage is considered to be a cleanser and healing agent for sickness and depression.