Turnip

Turnip - Brassica rapa

Alternative names
Wild Turnip
Description

Similar in appearance to Oil-seed Rape but the yellow flowers of Brassica rapa overtop the buds. The upper leaves are grey and clasp the stem the basal leaves are greener and bristly. Plants exist as basal rosettes until flowering stems develop at maturity, usually in the second year. The lower leaves are large (up to 12 inches).

Similar Species

Brassica napus subsp oleifera, B. oleraceus (rape and cabbage)

Identification difficulty
ID checklist (your specimen should have all of these features)

Stem-leaves clasp stem at base, green and hairy/bristly; long seed pods, sticking out from stem, with beak; one row in reach valve (= 2 rows); each valve has one vein; flowers overtop buds slightly, forming concave 'bowl'.

Recording advice

You must attach images that show sufficient detail for the plant to be identified.

Habitat

Arable land, waste places, streamsides usually as a non persistent casual.

When to see it

Flowers May to August.

Life History

Annual or biennial.

UK Status

Occasional - widespread over most of Britain.

VC55 Status

Occasional in Leicestershire and Rutland, usually as a non persistent casual. In the 1979 Flora survey of Leicestershire it was found in 59 of the 617 tetrads.

In the current Checklist (Jeeves, 2011) it is listed as Alien, occasional

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020

UK Map

Additional images

No additional images available for this species.

All NatureSpot records