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Brassica oleracea gongylodes

Common name:	Kohl Rabi	Family:	Cruciferae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Brassica caulorapa ((DC.)Pasq.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	A cultivated form of B. oleracea, not known in the wild.
Habitat:	Not known in the wild.
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	B. oleracea caulo-rapa[H] B. oleracea gongyloides[HORTIPLEX] B. oleracea var. caulo-rapa[H] B. oleracea var. caulorapa[G,P] B. oleracea var. gongylodes[G,H,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Kohl Rabi [H], Kohlrabi [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 0.45m at a fast rate. It is hardy to zone 5 and 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 1/5 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 and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Leaves Stem.

Leaves - cooked[142]. Used as a vegetable, though the quality is not as good as cabbage. The young leaves can also be added to salads, though some people find them difficult to digest. A nutritional analysis is available[218].
Stem - raw or cooked. The plant produces a swollen stem just above ground level, and this is often used as a root vegetable[K]. It has a mild cabbage flavour, when finely grated it makes a good addition to mixed salads and, when cooked, is an excellent vegetable[K]. It is best eaten whilst fairly small and tender, between golf ball and tennis ball size. It becomes coarse with age[33, 116, 142]. A nutritional analysis is available[218].

Composition

Stem (Fresh weight): In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Water: 90.3 Calories: 29 Protein: 2 Fat: 0.1 Carbohydrate: 6.6 Fibre: 1 Ash: 1
In milligrammes per 100g weight of food:
Calcium: 41 Phosphorus: 51 Iron: 0.5 Sodium: 8 Potassium: 372 VitaminA: 20 Thiamine: 0.06 Riboflavin: 0.04 Niacin: 0.3 VitaminC: 66
Source: [218]
Leaves (Dry weight): In grammes per 100g weight of food:
Water: 0 Calories: 320 Protein: 23.5 Fat: 2.5 Carbohydrate: 62.5 Fibre: 13 Ash: 10.5
In milligrammes per 100g weight of food:
Calcium: 430 Phosphorus: 450 Iron: 10.5 Sodium: 80 Potassium: 3100 VitaminA: 15000 Thiamine: 0.6 Riboflavin: 0.7 Niacin: 4.5 VitaminC: 670
Source: [218]
Notes : The figures given here are the median of a range that was given in the reference.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Digestive Tonic.

The leaf is digestive and tonic[218].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Succeeds in full sun in a well-drained fertile preferably alkaline soil[200]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil, though it is best not grown in an acid soil[16, 33]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.5 to 7.5. Prefers some shade and plenty of moisture in the growing season[20, 37]. Established plants are drought tolerant but the best stems are formed when the plant does not go short of moisture[20, 37]. Succeeds in maritime gardens[200].
Very winter hardy, kohl rabi withstands severe frosts and so can be left in the ground all winter in most areas and be harvested as required. The young growing plant, however, is sensitive to low temperatures and a week at 10° c will cause the plants to bolt[200]. It grows best at a temperature between 18 and 25° c[200].
Kohl rabi is often cultivated for its edible swollen stem which can be available almost all year round from successional sowings. There are several named varieties and stem colour can range from white to green and purple[200]. Green forms are faster to mature and so more suitable for early sowings, the purple forms are hardier and later to mature, they are used mainly for winter crops[200]. Very fast growing, the stems of some cultivars can be harvested 6 - 8 weeks after sowing[33]. The plant is more tolerant of drought and high temperatures than turnips, which it resembles in flavour, and so it is often grown as a substitute for that species[200].
Grows well with onions, beet and aromatic herbs which seem to reduce insect predations[18, 20, 201]. Plants also grow well with cucumbers, the roots of each species occupying different levels in the soil[201]. Grows badly with strawberries, runner beans and tomatoes[18, 20, 201].

Propagation

Seed - sow April to August in situ. Earlier sowings can be made under cloches.

Cultivars

'': There are some named varieties of this annual vegetable, with new forms being developed. At present there is not time to enter these in the database and it is recommended that you consult the book 'The Fruit and Vegetable Finder' which is updated regularly and can be obtained from libraries.

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 gongyloides (a possible synonym).

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

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

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical 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.

[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.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[33] Organ. J. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber 1960
Unusual vegetables that can be grown outdoors in Britain. A good guide.

[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.

[116] Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986
A small booklet packed with information.

[142] Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975 ISBN 0-12-136450-x
Readable but not very comprehensive.

[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.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

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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