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Brassica oleracea alboglabra

Common name:	Chinese Kale	Family:	Cruciferae
Author:	(L.H.Bailey)Musil.	Botanical references:
Synonyms:	Brassica alboglabra (L.H.Bailey.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	A cultivated form of B. oleracea.
Habitat:	Not known in the wild, it probably originated in the Mediterranean and is very close to B. oleracea costata, the Couve tronchuda[206].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	B. oleracea var. alboglabra[G,H,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Chinese Broccoli [H], Chinese Kale [H,P], Gaai Laan [H], Gai Lan [H], Gai Lohn [H], Jie Lan [H], Kaai Laan Tsoi [H], Kailaan [H], Kailan [H], White Flowering Broccoli [H],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	glabra = glabrous oleracea = vegetable like
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Capparales. Renamed to Brassicaceae -- Mustard family

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.5m at a fast rate. It is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees. The plant is self-fertile. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Flowers Leaves.

Young flowering shoots and small leaves- raw or cooked[2, 16, 46]. Delicious if used when fairly young though they can become tough with age[206]. Older stems should be peeled[206]. All parts of the growing plant are used, including the developing inflorescence[200]. Plants take about 3 months from sowing to their first harvest[200]. Either the whole plant can be harvested, or, if a further harvest is required, just the terminal shoot is harvested which encourages the development of lateral shoots[200]. Yields of 2 kg per square metre can be obtained[200].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant[206], it succeeds in full sun in a well-drained but moisture-retentive fertile preferably alkaline soil[16, 200, 206]. Prefers a heavy soil[16]. Plants prefer a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5[200]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil[37].
Plants tolerate several degrees of frost once they are past the seedling stage[206]. They also tolerate higher summer temperatures than most members of this genus[206].
Closely related to broccoli (B. oleracea italica), this species is often cultivated in the Orient for its edible leaves and flowering stems[206, 264]. There are several named forms[206]. A perennial plant, it is usually cultivated as an annual [200]. It is fairly slow-growing, but it provides a crop over a long period in the summer and autumn[206]. In a suitable climate they can crop for a period of six months[264]. Most cultivars have been developed in the warmer parts of China and are best suited to warmer conditions than usually occur in Britain, though some forms have been developed that are more suitable for cooler conditions[200].
Plants can be transplanted, if moved under cover in the autumn they will continue to grow slowly and provide a crop all winter[206].

Propagation

Seed - sow in succession from late spring to late summer or even early autumn in favoured areas[206]. The heaviest yields are from the mid to late summer sowings[206]. Early sowings may bolt if there is a period of cold weather[206].
Cuttings of lateral shoots root easily and can be used to produce more plants[200].

Cultivars

'Gai Choi' 'Gai Lohn' 'Kaai Laan' 'Chinese Kale': Grows well in cooler climates, maturing in about 70 days from seed[264].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Brassica alboglabra (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[16] Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin 1977 ISBN 0-14-046-050-0
A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[206] Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4
Well written and very informative.

[264] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Vegetables Macmillan Reference Books, London. 1995 ISBN 0 333 62640 0
Excellent and easily read book with good information and an excellent collection of photos of vegetables from around the world, including many unusual species.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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