- This family is commonly known as mustard family and following are the characteristics of mustard plant.
- The plants are terrestrial and cultivated for oil value which is normally pungent smelling watery sap.
- They are generally annual herbs with tap root system that may be branched.
- Stem is erect and divided into nodes and internodes, herbaceous, cylindrical, slightly hairy, and green with a pungent smelling juice.
- Leaves are alternate, exstipulate, simple, radical and cauline. The lower leaves are petiolate and lyrate while upper leaves are glabrous, sessile and entire with acute apex and unicostate reticulate venation.
- Inflorescence is either raceme or corymb.
- Flowers are bisexual, hypogynous and tetramerous. They are ebracteate, ebracteolate, pedicillate, actinomorphic, complete. Flowers are yellow in color with the nectaries at the base.
- Calyx is polysepalous. Sepals are 4 in number; arranged in two whorls, 2 outer and 2 inner. They are imbricate, green in color and petaloid.
- Corolla is polypetalous (with 4 petals). Petals are yellow in color, valvate, unguiculate (clawed) and cruciform (cross like).
- Androecium: Stamens are 6 in number, tetradynamous (2 outer short and 4 inner long), polyandrous and arranged in two whorls. At the base of each stamen is present a green nectary gland. They are basifixed, dithecous and introse.
- Gynoecium: There are two carpels (bicarpellary) and syncarpous. Ovary is superior, unilocular but later on becomes bilocular due to the development of a false septum called Placentation is parietal. The style is short and stigma bilobed.
- Fruit is either siliqua or silicula.
- Floral diagram with floral formula (mustard):
Important plants of the family:
- Brassica campestris (mustard)
- Brassica oleracea botrytis (cauliflower)
- Brassica oleracea capitata (cabbage)
- Raphanus sativus (radish)
- Cherianthus cheiri (wall flower)
Economic importance:
- As vegetables: Few plants like radish, cauliflower, cabbage etc. are used as vegetables.
- As a source of oil: Oil is extracted from mustard seeds, which is used for cooking.
- Brassica nigra (black mustard) and Brassica hirta (white mustard) are used in pickles.
- Leaves and stem of the vegetable yielding plants are used as fodder.
- Rorippa indica has properties to cure asthma.
- The extract of Capsella bursa-pastoris (shepherd’s purse) has the property of controlling haemorrhage.
- The leaves of Lepidium sativum (chamsoor) are used against syphilis.
- Iberis amara (candy tuft) is grown as an ornamental plant.
Characteristics and economic importance of Cruciferace (Brassicaceae)