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| Family Brassicaceae (= Cruciferae) |
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| Division: Angiospermae |
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| Class: Dicotyledonae |
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| Sub Class: Polypetalae |
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| Series: Thalamiflorae |
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| Order: Parietales |
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| This family is commonly called as 'mustard family'. It includes about 300 genus and about 3700 species. The members have a cosmopolitan distribution. There are around 150 species in India. |
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 Habit: Usually annual or perennial herbs. |
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 Root: Taproot system. |
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 Stem: Herbaceous, erect, branched. |
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 Leaves: Simple, alternate, radical or cauline, usually entire, sometimes lobed, petiolate, exstipulate reticulate venation. |
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 Inflorescence: Raceme or corymbose raceme. |
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 Flower: Ebracteate, pedicellate, mostly actinomorphic, bisexual, heterochlamydeous, dimerous or tetramerous hypogynous. |
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 Calyx: Sepals 4, polysepalous, in two whorls of two each imbricate aestivation. |
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 Corolla: Petals 4, arranged in single whorl alternating with sepals, polypetalous, often with long claws and spread out to form a cross. Hence, the name cruciform corolla. Valvate aestivation. |
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 Androecium: Stamens 6, polyandrous, arranged in two whorls of 4 and 2 (tetradynamous), outer two are short and the inner four are long, anthers bilobed, basifixed, introse. |
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 Gynoecium: Bicarpellary, syncarpous, initially unilocular and later bilocular, (formation of pseudoseptum), one or more ovules on parietal placentation, style short, stigma bifid, sometimes bilobed, ovary superior. |
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 Fruit: Siliqua or silicula. |
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 Seeds: Endospermic |
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| fig. 27.31a Habit, floral diagram and floral formula |
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| Edible |
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| 1. Brassica oleracea Has many varieties |
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| B.oleracea var.capitata - cabbage |
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| B.oleracea var. botrytis - knol khol |
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| B.oleracea var. caulorapa - corm |
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| 2. Raphanus sativus - radish |
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| 3. Brassica campestris - yellow mustard seeds yield oil |
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| Medicinal |
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| 1. Sysimbrium officinale leaves and stem used in curing scurvy. |
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| 2. Nasturtium indica seeds are used for treating asthma. |
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| 3. Eruca sativa oil extracted from the plant used for treating burns. |
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| 4. Lepidium sativum seeds are used for treating liver disorders. |
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| Ornamental |
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| 1. Iberis amara (candy tuft) |
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| 2. Cheiranthus sp. |
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| fig. 27.32 Examples of Family Brassicaceae |
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