Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa

(Miller) Thellung in G. Hegi et al.

in G. Hegi et al., Ill. Fl. Mitt.-Eur. 4: 201. 1918.

Common names: Garden - or salad-rocket rocket-salad rocket edible-rocket arugula roquette
WeedyIntroducedIllustrated
Basionym: Eruca sativa Miller Gard. Dict. ed. 8, Eruca no. 1. 1768
Synonyms: Brassica eruca Linnaeus
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 7. Treatment on page 434. Mentioned on page 435.

Stems usually branched basally, (1–) 2–8 (–10) dm, glabrous, hirsute, or hispid. Basal leaves (often withered by fruiting); petiole (1–) 2–5 (–7) cm; blade widely oblanceolate or pinnatisect, (2–) 4–15 (–20) cm × (10–) 20–40 (–60) mm, lobes 3–9 on each side, lobe margins entire or dentate. Cauline leaves (distal) subsessile; blade lobed or not, similar to basal. Fruiting pedicels (subappressed to rachis), 2–8 (–10) mm. Flowers: sepals (6–) 7–10 (–12) × 1.5–2.2 mm, outer pair cucullate or not, glabrous or with subapical tuft of trichomes; petals broadly obovate, (12–) 15–20 (–26) × (4–) 5–7 (–9) mm; median filaments (8–) 10–13 (–15) mm; anthers 2–3 mm. Fruits (1.1–) 1.5–3.5 (–4) cm × (2.5–) 3–5 mm; valves (0.7–) 1–2.5 (–3.2) mm; terminal segment 5-veined, (4–) 5–10 (–11) mm, as long as or slightly shorter than valves. Seeds pale or grayish brown, 1.6–2.5 mm. 2n = 22.


Phenology: Flowering Mar–Sep.
Habitat: Roadsides, disturbed areas, waste places, cultivated fields, dry ditches, rocky outcrops, gravelly slopes, sandy plains, open rangelands
Elevation: 0-1200 m

Distribution

V7 654-distribution-map.gif

Introduced; Alta., B.C., Man., Ont., Que., Sask., Ariz., Calif., Colo., Conn., Ill., Iowa, Kans., Md., Mich., Mo., Mont., Nebr., Nev., N.J., N.Mex., N.Y., N.Dak., Oreg., Pa., S.Dak., Tex., Utah, Vt., Wash., W.Va., Europe, Africa, also in Mexico, Central America, South America, Asia, Atlantic Islands, Australia

Discussion

Subspecies sativa, widely naturalized and cultivated, was first introduced as a weed in North America in Flathead County, Montana, in 1898, with additional reports from 1900 to the 1920s as a seed contaminant of alfalfa fields in the United States.

Subspecies vesicaria and pinnatifida (Desfontaines) Emberger & Maire are endemic to Spain and North Africa and have escaped from cultivation in Europe; they seem not to have become adventive in North America (R. C. Rollins 1993). Recent molecular studies by S. I. Warwick and L. D. Black (1993) support the treatment of subsp. vesicaria and its presumed derivative subsp. sativa as a single species; subsp. pinnatifida is maintained as Eruca pinnatifida (Desfontaines) Pomel.

The earliest cultivation of subsp. sativa dates back to the ancient Romans and Greeks. It is currently grown in Europe and North America as a salad plant and in Asia for cooking oil and as food for animals. The oil is also used as an industrial lubricant and for cosmetic and medicinal purposes (I. A. Al-Shehbaz 1985). The seed cake and the entire plant are used as fodder for domestic animals. The oil is high in erucic acid and glucosinolates and is known to cause various skin allergies.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"elongated" is not a number."thick" is not a number."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."dm" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

linear +  and oblong +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
Suzanne I. Warwick +
(Miller) Thellung in G. Hegi et al. +
not +  and rosulate +
Eruca sativa +
appendaged +  and unappendaged +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (20 cm200 mm <br />0.2 m <br />) +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
not +  and auriculate +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br />) +
undivided +, pinnatipartite +  and lyrate-pinnatifid +
dissected +, repand +, sinuate +, crenate +  and dentate +
not;lobed;oblanceolate +
much smaller +  and reduced +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
urceolate +, campanulate +  and tubular +
branched +  and simple +
well-developed +
distinct +
differentiated +
Garden - or salad-rocket +, rocket-salad +, rocket +, edible-rocket +, arugula +  and roquette +
emarginate +  and entire +
incumbent +, accumbent +  and conduplicate +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Man. +, Ont. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Ariz. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Conn. +, Ill. +, Iowa +, Kans. +, Md. +, Mich. +, Mo. +, Mont. +, Nebr. +, Nev. +, N.J. +, N.Mex. +, N.Y. +, N.Dak. +, Oreg. +, Pa. +, S.Dak. +, Tex. +, Utah +, Vt. +, Wash. +, W.Va. +, Europe +, Africa +, also in Mexico +, Central America +, South America +, Asia +, Atlantic Islands +  and Australia +
0-1200 m +
straight +  and curved +
not winged +  and unappendaged +
connate +  and distinct +
actinomorphic +
3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
indehiscent +  and dehiscent +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
terete +  and segmented +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
Roadsides, disturbed areas, waste places, cultivated fields, dry ditches, rocky outcrops, gravelly slopes, sandy plains, open rangelands +
sessile +  and petiolate +
alternate +, not +  and rosulate +
cauline +  and basal +
connate +  and distinct +
decurrent +
pinnatifid;dentate;pinnatifid;dentate +
1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.3 cm13 mm <br />0.013 m <br />) +
tenuinucellate +, crassinucellate +  and bitegmic +
campylotropous +  and anatropous +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (2.6 cm26 mm <br />0.026 m <br />) +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
yellow +  and cream +
15mm;20mm +
rudimentary +
obovate +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
Flowering Mar–Sep. +
trinucleate +  and 3(-11)-colpate +
in G. Hegi et al., Ill. Fl. Mitt.-Eur. +
erect +  and ascending +
mucilaginous +
not +  and mucilaginous +
grayish brown +  and pale +
ovoid +  and globose +
0.16 cm1.6 mm <br />0.0016 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (?) +
4-angled +, terete +, not torulose +, oblong +  and linear +
not basally +  and saccate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
persistent +  and caducous +
distinct +
spreading +, ascending +  and erect +
with subapical tuft +  and glabrous +
not +  and cucullate +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br />) +
reduced +
indehiscent +  and dehiscent +
terete +  and segmented +
indehiscent +  and dehiscent +
terete +  and segmented +
Weedy +, Introduced +  and Illustrated +
tetradynamous +
procumbent +  and decumbent +
hispid +, hirsute +  and glabrous +
2-lobed +  and conical +
subsessile +, sessile +  and petiolate +
persistent +
distinct +
Brassica eruca +
Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa +
Eruca vesicaria +
subspecies +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
scale-like +  and forked +
coiled +, 1-7-veined +  and veined +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.32 cm3.2 mm <br />0.0032 m <br />) +
hispid +, hirsute +  and glabrous +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
anastomosing +
hispid +, hirsute +  and glabrous +
rhizomatous +, taprooted +, scapose +  and not +
perennial +, biennial +  and annual +
subshrub +  and herb +
aquatics +  and terrestrial +
glabrous +  and pubescent +