| Cauliflower | |
|---|---|
 Cauliflower, cultivar unknown | |
| Species | Brassica oleracea |
| Cultivar group | Botrytis Group |
| Origin | Northeast Mediterranean, South Asia |
| Cultivar group members | Many; see text. |
Cauliflower is one of several vegetables cultivated from the species Brassica oleracea in the genus Brassica, which is in the Brassicaceae (or mustard) family.
An annual plant that reproduces by seed, the cauliflower head is composed of a (generally) white inflorescence meristem. Cauliflower heads resemble those in broccoli, which differs in having flower buds as the edible portion.
Typically, only the head is eaten; the edible white flesh is sometimes called "curd". The global production of cauliflower and broccoli in 2020 was over 25.5 million tons and worth 14.1 billion US dollars.[1]
- ^ Chen, Rui; Chen, Ke; Yao, Xingwei; Zhang, Xiaoli; Yang, Yingxia; Su, Xiao; Lyu, Mingjie; Wang, Qian; Zhang, Guan; Wang, Mengmeng; Li, Yanhao; Duan, Lijin; Xie, Tianyu; Li, Haichao; Yang, Yuyao; Zhang, Hong; Guo, Yutong; Jia, Guiying; Ge, Xianhong; Sarris, Panagiotis F.; Lin, Tao; Sun, Deling (2024). "Genomic analyses reveal the stepwise domestication and genetic mechanism of curd biogenesis in cauliflower". Nature Genetics. 56 (6): 1235–1244. doi:10.1038/s41588-024-01744-4. ISSN 1061-4036. PMC 11176064. PMID 38714866.