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Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia
Also called Cabbage, Wild Cabbage, Kale, Chou Mollier, Haria, Kohlrabi, Marrow Stem Kale
Lacinato kale is a cool-season leafy vegetable (Brassica oleracea var. palmifolia) grown for its dark, bumpy, strap-like leaves. Grow it in cool weather with steady moisture, and harvest the lower leaves so the plant looks like a small palm.
Lacinato kale, also known as Tuscan kale, Italian kale, dinosaur kale, kale, flat back kale, palm tree kale, black Tuscan palm, or, in Italian and often in English, cavolo nero, is a variety of kale from the Acephala group of cultivars Brassica oleracea grown for its edible leaves. Lacinato has a long tradition in Italian cuisine, especially that of Tuscany, where it has been grown for centuries, and it is one of the traditional ingredients of minestrone and ribollita.
Lacinato kale dates to the 18th century in Italy. This cultivar is popular among gardeners because of its colour and texture, and was amongst the plants Thomas Jefferson recorded in his 1777 garden at Monticello. The plant grows to a height of 60 centimetres (2 ft), with blistered leaves often over 30 cm (1 ft) in length and 5–10 cm (2–4 in) wide. The straplike leaves are typically harvested from the bottom of the stem, leaving the remainder of the plant resembling a palm tree.
Abyssinian mustard · Mustard · Zha cai · India mustard · Rutabaga · Rapeseed · Tatsoi · Rhamphospermum nigrum · Gai lan · Cauliflower · Cabbage · Brussels sprout
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lacinato kale by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
