Food Plants International - Plant Fact Sheets Brassica oleracea var. capitata

Edible: Leaves, Seeds, Stems, Vegetable

A cabbage family herb. It is a short leafy plant with a thick stalk. In cold areas it forms a thick tightly packed ball of leaves called a "head". If the plant is left growing in the ground it will later produce a flower stalk. The flowers are yellow. There are 3 main types - the white cabbage, a purple kind and one with wrinkled leaves.

It is a temperate crop. It does best at higher altitudes in the tropics where there is a greater difference between day and night temperatures. Seed germinate when soil temperature is between 13-16°C. It does not grow properly when temperatures are above 26°C. New varieties grow in warmer places. It is mostly above 1000 m altitude in the tropics. They are frost resistant. It suits hardiness zones 8-11.

Common Names: Cabbage, Bandha-kopi, Cobaj, Col, Ghobi, Kabeji, Kapusta, Kepeje kakalu, Kaveti kovu, Kaveti olo, Kobi-htoke, Laisoa, Monla-htoke, Mon-laptus, Repoluu, Te kabeti, Thapa-bo

Synonyms: 

Brassica capitata (Linnaeus) H. Léveillé.;