Rapeseed

Brassica napus

Introduced

At a glance

Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Brassica
Status: Introduced to Florida
Sightings: 3 verified in Florida
Also called: Oilseed Rape, Canola, Swede, Rape, Rutabaga, Siberian Kale
Formerly: Brassica macrorhiza, Brassica oleifera, Crucifera napus, Napus oleifera, Rapa napus, Raphanus napus, Sinapis napus

About

Rapeseed (Brassica napus subsp. napus), also known as rape and oilseed rape and canola, is a yellow-flowered member of the Brassicaceae family.

The plant is cultivated primarily for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains mildly toxic erucic acid. The term canola refers to a group of rapeseed cultivars with very low levels of erucic acid that are prized as food for humans and animals. The plant is the third-largest source of vegetable oil and the second-largest source of protein meal in the world.

Text adapted from the Wikipedia article “Rapeseed”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where it grows in Florida

PanhandleNorthCentralSouthKeys

Panhandle: Jackson, Santa Rosa
South: Broward

3 of 67 counties, from research-grade iNaturalist observations. They show where people have photographed it, not every place it grows — absence here isn't proof it's absent.