Article
Article
- Agriculture, Forestry & Soils
- Field crops, grasses, plant fibers, spices, tree crops, herbs
- Rape (plant)
- Food Science & Technology
- Foods
- Rape (plant)
Rape (plant)
Article By:
Downey, Richard K. Agricultural Research Station, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Last reviewed:May 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.573300
Brassica napus, a plant of the cabbage family. Rape (Brassica napus) [see illustration] and turnip rape (B. rapa or B. campestris), which are closely related, are members of the Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) plant family [order Brassicales or Capparales]. The name rape is derived from the Latin rapum, meaning "turnip." The rape plant does not form a compact head, and the leaves are deeply lobed and curled. The aerial portions of rape plants have been bred to produce oilseeds, fodder, and vegetable crops. Rapeseed is small [2–5 g (0.07–0.18 oz) per 1000 seeds], round, and usually black, although varieties with yellow seed coats are also grown. The seeds, borne in long slender pods or siliques, contain more than 40% oil. The plant germinates rapidly and forms a rosette of bluish-green leaves, from which bolts an indeterminate racemose inflorescence. Both annual and biennial forms of the crop are grown; the biennial form will not flower without extended exposure to freezing temperatures. See also: Capparales; Inflorescence; Seed; Turnip
The content above is only an excerpt.
for your institution. Subscribe
To learn more about subscribing to AccessScience, or to request a no-risk trial of this award-winning scientific reference for your institution, fill in your information and a member of our Sales Team will contact you as soon as possible.
to your librarian. Recommend
Let your librarian know about the award-winning gateway to the most trustworthy and accurate scientific information.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information