• Common name : Rutabaga, Oilseed Rape, Rapaseed
• Scientific name : Brassica napus
• Family : Brassicaceae
• Native land : Europe
Rutabaga is an annual plant. It has a long, usually thin taproot. Its leaves are smooth, bluish green, and deeply scalloped, and the bases of the upper leaves clasp the stem. It bears yellow flowers (with four petals) in spikes. Each round, elongated pod has a short beak and contains many seeds. These seeds yield oil, canola. Canola oil is treated for use in cooking, as an ingredient in soap and margarine, and as a lamp fuel (colza oil). The seeds are used as a bird’s feed, and the seed residue after oil extraction is used as fodder.
