Courtesy of sonicwalker - flickr.com

Kohlrabi - From Domain to Species

Kohlrabi is a vegetable. That much is clear but what about the rest of the classifications for Kohlrabi? This page is here to clarify where a Kohlrabi fits and each level of classification and why it is there.

Domain: Eukarya           Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons - An example of a Eukaryotic Cell
 
The cells of a Kohlrabi have a true membrane bound nucleus so are therefore a member of the domain Eukarya.

Kingdom: Plantae 
Courtesy of PDphoto.org - A leaf from a member of the Kingdom Plantae
Since Kohlrabi use the process of photosynthesis to feed themselves, they are members of the Kingdom Plantae.

Courtesy of Wikipedia commons - A few examples of flowering plantsPhylum: Anthophyta

Anthophyta is the phylum of plants that contains all angiosperms. All members of the Anthophyta are flowering plants--Anthos means flower

Class: Eudicotyledones
The net like appearance of the veins in a Kohlrabi leaf (as taken by myself)
Eudicots are flowering plants that have two cotyledons. A characteristic of Eudicots is leaves that have veins that are netlike instead of parallel like in monocots. Kohlrabi has net like leaves as in this picture.

Order: Brassicales Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons - Mustard seed

Members of the Brassicales are similar morphologically, chemically and genetically. Also, organisms under Brassicales produce glucosinolates, which are commonly called mustard oils. They are produced to deter some species from preying on them and also to attract other beneficial species. Kohlrabi are typical of Brassicales and do produce mustard oils.

 Family: Brassicaceae
 Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons - Though not a member of the Brassicaceae family, the 4 Petals are in the right cross-like shape.
Brassicaceae is the name used for members of the Brassicales with flowers possessing four petals. This family may also be called Cruciferae, which refers to the four petals being in a cross-like pattern.

Genus: BrassicaCourtesy of Wikipedia Commons - An example of wild cabbage

In Latin Brassica means cabbage. So members of the Brassica genus are closely related to cabbage either morphologically or genetically. Kohlrabi is no exception. Kohlrabi is much the same as wild cabbage. 

The end product - A Kohlrabi (taken by myself)Species: Brassica Oleracea

The species Brassica Oleracea actually includes all wild cabbages. They may seem very morphologically different but they are all members of one species. This includes Kohlrabi as well as wild cabbages, wild mustards, broccoli and cauliflower. Phylogenetic tree for members of the Brassica genus - drawn by Jonathan Komp

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