''Eruca'' is a genus of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the family

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The leav ...

, native to the

Mediterranean region In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and wa ...

, which includes the leaf vegetable known as arugula or rocket. The number of species is disputed, with some authorities only accepting a single species, while others accept up to five species. The following species are accepted by the Med-Checklist:Med-Checklist
''Eruca''
/ref>Med-Checklist
''Eruca vesicaria'' aggregate
/ref> *'' Eruca loncholoma'' (Pomel) O.E.Schulz *''

Eruca pinnatifida ''Eruca'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to the Mediterranean region, which includes the leaf vegetable known as arugula or rocket. The number of species is disputed, with some authorities only accepting a sin ...

'' (Desf.) Pomel (syn. ''E. sativa'' subsp. ''pinnatifida'' (Desf.) Batt.; ''E. vesicaria'' subsp. ''pinnatifida'' (Desf.) Emberger & Maire) *''

Eruca sativa 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 ...

'' Mill. (syn. ''E. vesicaria'' subsp. ''sativa'' (Mill.) Thell.) *'' Eruca setulosa'' Boiss. & Reuter *''

Eruca vesicaria 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 ...

'' (L.) Cav. When treated as a monospecific genus, all are included within ''E. vesicaria''.Flora of China
''Eruca''
/ref>Flora Europaea
''Eruca''
/ref> They can be both annual plants and biennial plants growing to 20–100 cm tall. The leaves are deeply pinnately lobed with four to ten small lateral lobes and a large terminal lobe. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s are 2–4 cm diameter, arranged in a

corymb Corymb is a botanical term for an inflorescence with the flowers growing in such a fashion that the outermost are borne on longer pedicels than the inner, bringing all flowers up to a common level. A corymb has a flattish top with a superficial ...

, with the typical

flower structure; the petals are creamy white with purple veins, and the stamens yellow. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...

is a

siliqua The siliqua (plural ''siliquae'') is the modern name given (without any ancient evidence to confirm the designation) to small, thin, Roman silver coins produced in the 4th century A.D. and later. When the coins were in circulation, the Latin wo ...

(pod) 12–25 mm long with an apical beak, and containing several

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s.Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). ''Flora of Britain and Northern Europe''. Flora of NW Europe
''Eruca vesicaria''
Huxley, A., ed. (1992). ''New RHS Dictionary of Gardening''. Macmillan .

References

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae genera Taxa named by Philip Miller {{Brassicales-stub