Brassica oleracea sabellica Curly Kale PFAF Plant Database

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Brassica oleracea sabellica - L.

Common Name

Curly Kale

Family

Brassicaceae or Cruciferae

Synonyms

Known Hazards

None known

Habitats

Not known in the wild.

Range

A cultivated form of B. oleracea.

Edibility Rating

Medicinal Rating

Care

Summary

Physical Characteristics

Brassica oleracea sabellica is a BIENNIAL/PERENNIAL growing to 0.9 m (3ft).
It is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to August, and the seeds ripen from Jul to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.The plant is self-fertile.

Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid and very alkaline soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.


http://www.hear.org/starr/

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Rasbak

Habitats
Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Leaves - raw or cooked[2, 16, 46]. A strong cabbage flavour, they are delicious if used when fairly young though they can become tough with age[K]. The leaves are usually available from autumn to late spring, and can be harvested all through the winter in all but the very coldest of seasons[K]. Young flowering shoots - raw or cooked. Picked before the flowers open, they are fairly tender and can be used as part of a mixed salad. When cooked, they have a delicious flavour similar to sprouting broccoli[K].

Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally. None known

Other Uses
None known

Cultivation details

A very easily grown plant, succeeding in full sun in a well-drained fertile preferably alkaline soil[16, 200]. Prefers a heavy soil[16]. Succeeds in any reasonable soil[37]. Shade tolerant, growing well on a north border[37]. Succeeds in maritime gardens[200]. Tolerates a pH in the range 4.2 to 8.3. A very hardy plant, tolerating temperatures down to about -15°c[200]. It also tolerates high summer temperatures[200]. Often cultivated for its edible leaves, the curly kales are especially useful for providing leaves throughout the winter and spring, they are fairly cold tolerant. There are several named forms[183, 200]. Some forms have been especially selected for their ornamental foliage, these tend to be of poor culinary quality[206].

Propagation
Seed - sow in a seedbed outdoors in April/May. Plant out into their permanent positions in the 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.

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Expert comment

Author
L.

Botanical References
200

Links / 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.

Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[16]Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook.

A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.

[37]Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant.

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.

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.

[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.

Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.

Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[206]Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables

Well written and very informative.

Readers comment

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