Family Brassicaceae

Family Brassicaceae

Members of the Mustard Family (Brassicaceae) have flowers with four petals in the form of a cross. Another name for this family, Cruciferae, comes from the Latin word for cross. The flowers have six stamens with two usually shorter than the other four. Many of our common vegetables belong to this family and several different parts of such plants may be eaten such as the roots, stems, leaves, buds, flowers or seeds. The Brassicaceae may have evolved from the Poppy Family. [CH] {GW}