Brassica rupestris is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae, native to southwestern Italy and Sicily.[1] The plant is known to grow on vertical limestone cliffs.[2] In the past it was proposed, based on morphology, that Brassica rupestris contributed to the ancestry of either kale or kohlrabi, but DNA evidence shows that it did not.[3]
Taxonomy
Brassica rupestris was described and named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1810.[1] In 1997 Francesco Raimondo and Pietro Mazzola erected a subspecies, Brassica rupestris subsp. hispida, based on very slight differences including leaf hairiness and silique size, which is not supported by molecular studies.[2]
In 2020 subspecies monilicarpa[4] and tardarae were named.[5]
Subspecies
The following subspecies are currently accepted:[1]
Brassica rupestris subsp. rupestris is found in mountainous areas of Calabria and Sicily, and has been reassessed as Least Concern, while B.rupestris subsp. hispida is found in a number of stations in Sicily and has been reassessed as Vulnerable.[2] Both subspecies typically live on near-vertical limestone cliffs, with B.rupestris subsp. rupestris found from 0 to 1,100 m (0 to 3,600 ft) above sea level, and B.rupestris subsp. hispida found from 800 to 1,300 m (2,600 to 4,300 ft).[2]
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