Eruca vesicaria

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Rosids
Cladus: Eurosids II
Ordo: Brassicales

Familia: Brassicaceae
Tribus: Brassiceae
Genus: Eruca
Species: Eruca vesicaria
Subspecies: E. v. subsp. sativa
Name

Eruca vesicaria (L.) Cav., 1802:426
Synonyms

Brassica hispida Ten.
Brassica vesicaria L.
Eruca aurea Batt.
Eruca glabrescens Jord.
Eruca oleracea J.St.-Hil.
Eruca orthosepala (Lange) Lange
Eruca permixta Jord.
Eruca sylvestris Bubani
Eruca vesicaria var. orthosepala Lange
Euzomum vesicarium (L.) Link
Raphanus eruca (L.) Crantz
Raphanus vesicarius (L.) Crantz
Velleruca longistyla Pomel

References

Cavanilles, A.J. 1802. Descripción de las plantas que D. Antonio Josef Cavanilles demostró en las lecciones públicas del año 1801. cxxxvi + 625 pp. Madrid, Imprenta Real. BHL Biblioteca Digital Reference page. 

Links

Koch, M.A. et al. 2019. Eruca vesicaria in BrassiBase Tools and biological resources to study characters and traits in the Brassicaceae. Published online. Accessed: 2019 May 24.
International Plant Names Index. 2019. Eruca vesicaria. Published online. Accessed: May 24 2019.
The Plant List 2013. Eruca vesicaria in The Plant List Version 1.1. Published online. Accessed: 2019 May 24.
Tropicos.org 2019. Eruca vesicaria. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 24 May 2019.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Eruca vesicaria in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.

Vernacular names
suomi: Sinappikaali

Arugula (American English) or rocket (Commonwealth English) (Eruca vesicaria; syns. Eruca sativa Mill., E. vesicaria subsp. sativa (Miller) Thell., Brassica eruca L.) is an edible annual plant in the family Brassicaceae used as a leaf vegetable for its fresh, tart, bitter, and peppery flavor. Other common names include garden rocket[1] (in Britain, Australia, South Africa, Ireland, and New Zealand),[2] and eruca.[2] It is also called "ruchetta", "rucola", "rucoli", "rugula", "colewort", and "roquette". Eruca sativa, which is widely popular as a salad vegetable, is a species of Eruca native to the Mediterranean region, from Morocco and Portugal in the west to Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt and Turkey in the east.[3][2][4]

It is sometimes conflated with Diplotaxis tenuifolia, known as "perennial wall rocket", another plant of the family Brassicaceae that is used in the same manner.

Description
Leaves

Eruca vesicaria is an annual plant growing to 20 to 100 centimetres (8 to 40 inches) in height. The pinnate leaves are deeply lobed with four to ten small lateral lobes and a large terminal lobe. The flowers are 2 to 4 cm (3⁄4 to 1+1⁄2 in) in diameter, arranged in a corymb, with the typical Brassicaceae flower structure. The petals are creamy white with purple veins, and the stamens yellow. The fruit is a siliqua (pod) 12 to 25 mm (1⁄2 to 1 in) long with an apical beak, containing several seeds (which are edible). The species has a chromosome number of 2n = 22.[2][1][5]
Etymology

The Latin adjective sativa in the plant's binomial name is derived from satum, the supine of the verb sero, meaning "to sow", indicating that the seeds of the plant were sown in gardens. Eruca sativa differs from E. vesicaria in having early deciduous sepals.[1] Some botanists consider it a subspecies of Eruca vesicaria: E. vesicaria subsp. sativa.[1] Still others do not differentiate between the two.[6]

The English common name rocket derives from the Italian word Ruchetta or rucola, a diminutive of the Latin word eruca, which once designated a particular plant in the family Brassicaceae (probably a type of cabbage).[7] Arugula (/əˈruːɡələ/), the common name now widespread in the United States and Canada, entered American English from a nonstandard dialect of Italian. The standard Italian word is rucola. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the first appearance of "arugula" in American English to a 1960 article in The New York Times by food editor and prolific cookbook writer Craig Claiborne.[8]
Synonyms[9]
Inflorescence and young fruits of rucola

Brassica eruca L.
Brassica erucoides Hornem.
Brassica erucoides Roxb.
Brassica lativalvis Boiss.
Brassica pinnatifida Desf.
Brassica turgida Pers.
Brassica uechtritziana Janka
Brassica vesicaria L.
Crucifera eruca E.H.L.Krause
Eruca aurea Batt.
Eruca cappadocica Reut.
Eruca cappadocica Reut. ex Boiss.
Eruca deserti Pomel
Eruca drepanensis Caruel
Eruca eruca (L.) Asch. & Graebn. nom. inval.
Eruca foetida Moench
Eruca glabrescens Jord.
Eruca grandiflora Cav.
Eruca lanceolata Pomel
Eruca latirostris Boiss.
Eruca longirostris Uechtr.
Eruca longistyla Pomel
Eruca oleracea J.St.-Hil.
Eruca orthosepala (Lange) Lange
Eruca permixta Jord.
Eruca pinnatifida (Desf.) Pomel
Eruca ruchetta Spach
Eruca sativa Mill.
Eruca stenocarpa Boiss. & Reut.
Eruca sylvestris Bubani
Euzomum hispidum Link
Euzomum sativum Link
Euzomum vesicarium (L.) Link
Raphanus eruca (L.) Crantz
Raphanus vesicarius (L.) Crantz
Sinapis eruca (L.) Clairv.
Sinapis eruca (L.) Vest
Velleruca longistyla Pomel
Velleruca vesicaria (L.) Pomel

Ecology
Seed pods

Eruca vesicaria typically grows on dry, disturbed ground. It is a source of food for the larvae of some moth species,[2][1] including the garden carpet, and its roots are susceptible to nematode infestation.[10]
Cultivation and history

A pungent, leafy green vegetable resembling a longer-leaved and open lettuce, Eruca vesicaria is rich in vitamin C and potassium.[11] In addition to the leaves, the flowers, young seed pods and mature seeds are all edible.
Flower of Eruca vesicaria

Grown as an edible and popular herb in Italy since Roman times, it was mentioned by various ancient Roman classical authors as an aphrodisiac,[12][13] most famously in a poem long ascribed to the famous 1st century Roman poet Virgil, Moretum, which contains the line: "et Venerem revocans eruca morantem" ("and the rocket, which revives drowsy Venus [sexual desire]"),[14] and in the Ars Amatoria of Ovid.[15] Some writers assert that for this reason during the Middle Ages it was forbidden to grow rocket in monasteries.[16] It was listed, however, in a decree by Charlemagne of 802 as one of the pot herbs suitable for growing in gardens.[17] Gillian Riley, author of the Oxford Companion to Italian Food, states that because of its reputation as a sexual stimulant, it was "prudently mixed with lettuce, which was the opposite" (i.e., calming or even soporific). Riley continues that "nowadays rocket is enjoyed innocently in mixed salads, to which it adds a pleasing pungency",[18] though Norman Douglas insisted that “Salad rocket is certainly a stimulant”.[19]

Rocket was traditionally collected in the wild or grown in home gardens along with such herbs as parsley and basil. It is now grown commercially in many places, and is available for purchase in supermarkets and farmers' markets throughout the world. It is also naturalized as a wild plant away from its native range in temperate regions around the world, including northern Europe and North America.[20][2] In India, the mature seeds are known as Gargeer. This is the same name in Arabic, جِرْجِير (jirjīr), but used in Arab countries for the fresh leaves.

Mild frost conditions hinder the plant's growth and turn the green leaves red.[21][22]
Uses
Rocket in a salad with chorizo and eggs.

Since Roman times in Italy, raw rocket has been added to salads. It is often added to a pizza at the end of or just after baking. It is also used cooked in Apulia, in southern Italy, to make the pasta dish cavatiéddi, "in which large amounts of coarsely chopped rocket are added to pasta seasoned with a homemade reduced tomato sauce and pecorino",[23] as well as in "many unpretentious recipes in which it is added, chopped, to sauces and cooked dishes" or in a sauce (made by frying it in olive oil and garlic) used as a condiment for cold meats and fish.[23] Throughout Italy it is used as a salad with tomatoes, and with either burrata, bocconcini, buffalo and mozzarella cheese. In Rome, rucola is used in straccetti, a dish of thin slices of beef with raw rocket and Parmesan cheese.[24]

In Turkey, similarly, the rocket is eaten raw as a side dish or salad with fish, but is additionally served with a sauce of extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.[25]

In Slovenia, rocket is often combined with boiled potatoes[26] or used in a soup.[27]

In West Asia, Pakistan and Northern India, Eruca seeds are pressed to make taramira oil, used in pickling and (after aging to remove acridity) as a salad or cooking oil.[28] The seed cake is also used as animal feed.[29]
Nutrition
Arugula, raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	105 kJ (25 kcal)
Carbohydrates	3.6 g
Sugars	2.0 g
Dietary fiber	1.6 g
Fat	0.6 g
Protein	2.6 g
Vitamins	Quantity %DV†
Vitamin A equiv. beta-Carotene lutein zeaxanthin	15% 119 μg 13% 1424 μg 3555 μg
Vitamin A	2373 IU
Thiamine (B1)	4% 0.044 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	7% 0.086 mg
Niacin (B3)	2% 0.305 mg
Vitamin B6	6% 0.073 mg
Folate (B9)	24% 97 μg
Vitamin C	18% 15 mg
Vitamin E	3% 0.43 mg
Vitamin K	103% 108.6 μg
Minerals	Quantity %DV†
Calcium	16% 160 mg
Copper	4% 0.076 mg
Iron	11% 1.46 mg
Magnesium	13% 47 mg
Manganese	15% 0.321 mg
Phosphorus	7% 52 mg
Potassium	8% 369 mg
Sodium	2% 27 mg
Zinc	5% 0.47 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	91.7 g
Full Link to USDA database entry
Units μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams IU = International units
†Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA FoodData Central

Raw arugula is 92% water, 4% carbohydrates, 2.5% protein, and contains a negligible amount of fat. Although a 100-gram (3+1⁄2-ounce) reference serving provides only 105 kilojoules (25 kilocalories) of food energy, arugula has a high nutritional value, especially when fresh, frozen, steamed, or quickly boiled. It is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of folate and vitamin K. Arugula is also a good source (10–19% of DV) of vitamin A, vitamin C, and the dietary minerals calcium, magnesium, and manganese.
References

Flora of NW Europe: Eruca vesicaria Archived 2007-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ISBN 0-340-40170-2.
Med-Checklist: Eruca sativa.
Yaniv, Zohara; Schafferman, D.; Amar, Z. (1998). "Tradition, Uses and Biodiversity of Rocket (Eruca sativa, Brassicaceae) in Israel". Economic Botany. 52 (4): 394–400. doi:10.1007/BF02862069. JSTOR 4256115. S2CID 36181033.
Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.
"Flora Europaea Search Results". rbge.org.uk.
Oxford English Dictionary
Claiborne, Craig (May 24, 1960). "A Green by Any Name: Pungent Ingredient Is Cause of Confusion for City Shopper; Arugula – or Rocket – Is the Secret of Experts' Salads". The New York Times. p. 33.
The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species, retrieved 11 May 2016
"Arugula: Arugula". smartgardener.com.
NutritionData.com, Arugula, Raw
Upton, Julie, RD. "7 Foods for Better Sex". Health.com. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
Wright, Clifford A. (2001). Mediterranean Vegetables. Harvard Common Press. p. 27. ISBN 9781558321960.
Virgil, 102 Moretum: 85. Joseph J. Mooney in his 1916 English translation, "The Salad", calls it "colewort" and notes, "The Latin moretum, which is usually translated "salad", would be better called "cheese and garlic paste", i.e., pesto. See The Minor Poems of Vergil: Comprising the Culex, Dirae, Lydia, Moretum, Copa, Priapeia, and Catalepton (Birmingham: Cornish Brothers, 1916), scanned as part of Appendix Vergiliana: The Minor Poems of Virgil in English Translation on the website Virgil.org.
Ovid, The Love Poems (Oxford 2008) p. 119
Padulosi, Pignone D., Editors, Rocket: A Mediterranean Crop for the World (International Plant Genetic Resources Institute,1997), p. 41.
Helen Morgenthau Fox, Gardening With Herbs for Flavor and Fragrance (1933, reprinted New York: Dover, 1970), p. 45. See also Denise Le Dantec and Jean-Pierre Le Dantec, Reading the French Garden: Story and History (MIT Press, 1998), p. 14.
Gillian Riley, The Oxford Companion to Italian Food (Oxford University Press, 2008), p. 446.
Ovid, The Love Poems (Oxford 2008) p. 232
USDA Plants Profile: Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa
"The Secret of the Local Red Arugula". Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
"Minnesota Spring". Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Reilly, The Oxford Companion to Italian Food, p. 446
"Beef Strips with Rocket – Straccetti con la Rucola". thefoodellers.com. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
"Oktay Usta'dan Roka Salatası Resimli Tarifi". Archived from the original on 2015-06-24. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
"Solata s krompirjem in rukolo". dnevnik.si.
"Krompirjeva juha z rukolo". zurnal24.
G.J.H. Grubben and O.A. Denton, ed. (2004). "Vegetables". Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. Vol. 2. p. 295. ISBN 90-5782-147-8.
Das, Srinabas; Kumar Tyagi; Harjit Kaur (2004). "Evaluation of taramira oil-cake and reduction of its glucosinolate content by different treatments". Indian Journal of Animal Sciences. 73 (6): 687–691.