Brassica oleracea costata
DC.
Brassicaceae
This species has been cultivated as a food crop for many hundreds of years and, in that time, several quite distinct forms have arisen. The nomenclature of these forms is confused, to say the least, and by no means universally accepted. We have followed the treatment used by GRIN, though it is very likely to be revised in the future[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
Brassica oleracea tronchuda L.H.Bailey
Common Name: Couve Tronchuda
General Information
Couve tronchuda is a biennial plant derived in cultivation from the wild cabbage. It can grow up to 150cm tall.
The plant is occasionally cultivated in gardens for its edible leaves and leaf stem.
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Range
A cultivated form of Brassica oleracea.
Habitat
Not known in the wild.
Properties
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Biennial |
| Height | 1.50 m |
| Pollinators | Bees |
| Self-fertile | Yes |
| Cultivation Status | Cultivated |
Cultivation Details
Couve tronchuda has been developed in cultivation in the temperate zone. It is fairly hardy, tolerating short-lived temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
Succeeds in full sun in a well-drained fertile preferably alkaline soil[
16- Title
- New Vegetable Growers Handbook.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Simons.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1977
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-050-0
- Description
- A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Prefers a heavy soil[
16- Title
- New Vegetable Growers Handbook.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Simons.
- Publisher
- Penguin
- Year
- 1977
- ISBN
- 0-14-046-050-0
- Description
- A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.
]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil, but is best when grown in a rich soil[
33- Title
- Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Organ. J.
- Publisher
- Faber
- Year
- 1960
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.
].
Couve tronchuda is a non-hearting form of cabbage with large green leaves and prominent white midribs that are available to eat mainly in the autumn[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. The plant is transitional between the hearting cabbages and the kales[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
One report suggests that it might be resistant to club root[
33- Title
- Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Organ. J.
- Publisher
- Faber
- Year
- 1960
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.
].
A good bee plant[
108- Title
- Garden Plants Valuable to Bees.
- Publication
-
- Author
- International Bee Research Association.
- Publisher
- International Bee Research Association.
- Year
- 1981
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- The title says it all.
].
Edible Uses
Leaves - raw or cooked[
2- Title
- Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Hedrick. U. P.
- Publisher
- Dover Publications
- Year
- 1972
- ISBN
- 0-486-20459-6
- Description
- Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
,
27- Title
- The Vegetable Garden.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Vilmorin. A.
- Publisher
- Ten Speed Press
- Year
-
- ISBN
- 0-89815-041-8
- Description
- A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.
,
33- Title
- Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Organ. J.
- Publisher
- Faber
- Year
- 1960
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.
,
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
]. Tender[
264- Title
- Vegetables
- Publication
-
- Author
- Phillips. R. & Rix. M.
- Publisher
- Macmillan Reference Books, London.
- Year
- 1995
- ISBN
- 0 333 62640 0
- Description
- Excellent and easily read book with good information and an excellent collection of photos of vegetables from around the world, including many unusual species.
]. Most commonly eaten as a vegetable, though the younger and more tender leaves can be added to salads. Some people find the raw leaves hard to digest[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
]. The leaves can be available all through the winter[
264- Title
- Vegetables
- Publication
-
- Author
- Phillips. R. & Rix. M.
- Publisher
- Macmillan Reference Books, London.
- Year
- 1995
- ISBN
- 0 333 62640 0
- Description
- Excellent and easily read book with good information and an excellent collection of photos of vegetables from around the world, including many unusual species.
].
The leaf ribs are cooked like seakale (Crambe maritima.)[
27- Title
- The Vegetable Garden.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Vilmorin. A.
- Publisher
- Ten Speed Press
- Year
-
- ISBN
- 0-89815-041-8
- Description
- A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.
,
33- Title
- Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Organ. J.
- Publisher
- Faber
- Year
- 1960
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - sow in a seedbed outdoors in mid spring. Plant out as space permits in summer. Do not let the seedlings get overcrowded or they will soon become leggy and will not make such good plants. If your seedlings do get leggy, it is possible to plant them rather deeper into the soil - the buried stems will soon form roots and the plant will be better supported.
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Useful Temperate Plants Database 2016 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
