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Brassica oleracea gemmifera

Common name:	Brussels Sprouts	Family:	Cruciferae
Author:	Zenker.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	A cultivated form of B. oleracea.
Habitat:	Not known in the wild.
Edibility Rating (1-5):	4	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	B. oleracea var. gemmifera[G,H,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Brussels Sprouts [H,P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	oleracea = vegetable like;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Capparales. Renamed to Brassicaceae -- Mustard family

Physical Characteristics

Biennial growing to 1.2m. 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 4/5 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

Leaves.

Leaf buds - raw or cooked[2, 16, 37, 46]. Well-grown plants produce an abundance of leaf-buds (looking rather like miniature cabbage heads) along the main stem at the leaf axils. These can be shredded and eaten raw in salads, though many people find them indigestible when eaten this way. They have a very nice cabbage flavour when cooked and are a very popular winter vegetable[K]. By careful selection of varieties, it is possible to harvest the buds from early September until late spring[K].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeeds in full sun in a well-drained fertile preferably alkaline soil[200]. Prefers a medium to heavy calcareous soil[1, 16, 200]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil. Succeeds in maritime gardens[200]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.5 to 7.8, though it prefers a pH of 6.5 or higher[200].
Plants, especially the late harvesting cultivars, are hardy to about -10°c[200].
Brussels sprouts are widely grown in temperate zones for their edible axillary buds which look rather like miniature cabbages. They are available from late autumn to late winter, there are many named varieties.
It is possible to bring the harvest period forward and produce more evenly spaced sprouts by removing the plants main growing point. Called 'stopping', it should be carried out when the lower sprouts reach a diameter of about 10mm. Late cultivars are unsuitable for this treatment[200].
Grows badly with strawberries, each plant serving to retard the growth of the other[201]. Grows well with many aromatic herbs, these herbs help to repel insect pests[201]. Some other plants that grow well with Brussels sprouts include potatoes and celery[201].

Propagation

Seed - sow in a seedbed outdoors in early spring. Plant out in early summer. In order to produce a larger or earlier crop, the seed can also be sown under glass in February and planted out in May. 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.

Cultivars

'Rubine': A red-leaved form, it is late to mature and cropping does not commence before late autumn or early winter[264].
'Early Half Tall': Smaller than most cultivars, to 50cm tall, it crops from mid autumn until early winter[264].
'Bedford Fillbasket': A heavy yielding form with large sprouts for cropping in the autumn to early winter[264]. The sprouts are exceptionally large, but still firm and of good quality[264].

Suppliers

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

Web References

References for Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera (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.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants 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

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[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.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.