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Brassica oleracea sabauda

Common name:	Savoy Cabbage	Family:	Cruciferae
Author:	L.	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. sabauda[G,H]
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	oleracea = vegetable like; uda = moist;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Capparales. Renamed to Brassicaceae -- Mustard family

Physical Characteristics

Biennial growing to 0.75m. 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.

Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 16, 46]. The leaves have a very attractive crinkled appearance, but are somewhat tougher than other cabbages. Finely shredded, they can be used in salads, though many people find them indigestible this way. They are delicious cooked, especially the younger leaves since the older ones can be quite tough[K]. Through careful selection of varieties, they are usually available from the autumn until the 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[16, 37, 200]. Prefers a heavy soil[16]. Prefers a soil that is not too rich[37]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil. Succeeds in maritime gardens[200].
The savoy cabbage is often grown for its edible leaves. This is a very hardy form of cabbage that is able to withstand quite severe winters, providing leaves from autumn to the spring. There are many named varieties. The savoy, however, is considered by many people to be coarser tasting than other cabbages and is less grown nowadays.

Propagation

Seed - sow in a seedbed outdoors in April/May. Plant out in summer as space permits. 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

'': There are many 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 var. sabauda (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

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

[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.

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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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.