BRASSICACEAE - MUSTARD FAMILY
Scientific Description:
Herbs, rarely small shrubs. Leaves alternate, rarely opposite, exstipulate. Flowers usually hermaphrodite, hypogynous, with 2 planes of symmetry. Sepals 4, free, in two decussate pairs. Petals 4, free, usually clawed, alternating with the sepals. Stamens usually 6, tetradynamous (i.e. in two whorls, the outer of 2 shorter, the inner of 4 longer stamens), rarely 4 or 2, filaments often winged, appendaged or toothed. Nectaries variously arranged around the bases of the stamens. Ovary syncarpous, of 2 carpels, usually bilocular, divided by a false septum (replum). Fruit a capsule, dehiscing from below by two valves (when clearly more than 3 × longer than broad referred to as a siliqua, when clearly less than 3 × longer than broad referred to as a silicula), rarely lomentoid or indehiscent. Seeds often mucilaginous when wet.
Reference:
Davis PH (1965). Cruciferae (Brassicaceae), In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 1: 248.
Public Description:
“Mustard family” is distributed all over the world but mainly confined to the Mediterranean region and north temperature regions. The family contains the cruciferous vegetables, including species such as Brassica oleracea L. (e.g., broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts), Brassica rapa L. (turnip, etc.), Brassica napus L. (rapeseed, etc.), Raphanus sativus (common radish), Armoracia rusticana G.Gaertn., B.Mey. & Scherb. (horseradish). The model organism of biotechnological and molecular studies Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. (thale cress) is also found in this family. Isatis tinctoria L. (woad) was used in the past to produce the colour indigo. Some plants are grown in gardens for their beautiful flowers such as Erysimum L. (wallflower), Iberis L. (candituft) Lobularia Desv., Matthiola W.T. Aiton (stock), Hesperis L. (rocket), Alyssum L. etc. There are also species that are used for medical purposes. For example; the leaves and tender shoots of Lepidium sativum L. (garden cress) are used in liver complaints, asthma, cough and bleeding piles. The seeds of Erysimum x cheiri (L.) Crantz (wallflower) are used in bronchitis and fever. The flowers are used in paralysis and impotency.
References:
Anonymous 1 (2015). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassicaceae, Accessed date: 24.12.2015.
Anonymous 2 (2015). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruciferous_vegetables, Accessed date: 24.12.2015.
Anonymous 3 (2017). http://www.biologydiscussion.com/angiosperm/dicotyledons/brassicaceae, Accessed date: 22.04.2017.
