# Broccoli

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For other uses, see [Broccoli (disambiguation)](/source/Broccoli_(disambiguation)).

**Broccoli** (*[Brassica oleracea](/source/Brassica_oleracea)* var. *italica*) is an edible green plant in the [cabbage family](/source/Brassicaceae) (family Brassicaceae, genus *Brassica*) whose large [flowering head](/source/Pseudanthium), [stalk](/source/Plant_stem) and small associated [leaves](/source/Leafy_greens) are eaten as a [vegetable](/source/Vegetable). Broccoli is classified in the [Italica](/source/Brassica_oleracea#Cultivar_groups) [cultivar group](/source/Cultivar_group) of the species *[Brassica oleracea](/source/Brassica_oleracea)*. Broccoli has large [flower heads](/source/Flower_head), or florets, usually dark green, arranged in a tree-like structure branching out from a thick [stalk](/source/Plant_stem), which is usually light green. Leaves surround the mass of flower heads. Broccoli resembles [cauliflower](/source/Cauliflower), a different but closely related cultivar group of the same *Brassica* species.

It can be eaten either raw or cooked. Broccoli is a particularly rich source of [vitamin C](/source/Vitamin_C) and [vitamin K](/source/Vitamin_K). Contents of its characteristic [sulfur](/source/Sulfur)-containing [glucosinolate](/source/Glucosinolate) compounds, [isothiocyanates](/source/Isothiocyanate) and [sulforaphane](/source/Sulforaphane), are diminished by boiling but are better preserved by [steaming](/source/Steaming), [microwaving](/source/Microwave) or [stir-frying](/source/Stir-fry).[3]

[Rapini](/source/Rapini), sometimes called "broccoli rabe", is a distinct species from broccoli, forming similar but smaller heads, and is actually a type of [turnip](/source/Turnip) (*[Brassica rapa](/source/Brassica_rapa)*).[4]

## Taxonomy

*Brassica oleracea* var. *italica* was described in 1794 by [Joseph Jakob von Plenck](/source/Joseph_Jakob_Plenck) in *Icones Plantarum Medicinalium* 6:29, t. 534.[5] Like all the other *brassicas*, broccoli was developed from the wild cabbage ([Brassica oleracea var. oleracea](/source/Brassica_oleracea_var._oleracea)), also called [colewort](/source/Colewort) or field cabbage.

## Etymology

The word *broccoli*, first used in the [17th century](/source/17th_century), comes from the Italian plural of **[broccolo](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/broccolo)**, which means "the flowering crest of a [cabbage](/source/Cabbage)", and is the diminutive form of *brocco*, meaning "small nail" or "sprout".[6]

## History

Broccoli resulted from the breeding of [landrace](/source/Landrace) *Brassica* crops in the northern Mediterranean starting in about the sixth century BCE.[7] Broccoli has its origins in primitive cultivars grown in the [Roman Empire](/source/Roman_Empire) and was most likely [improved](/source/Plant_breeding) via [artificial selection](/source/Selective_breeding) in the southern [Italian Peninsula](/source/Italian_Peninsula) or in [Sicily](/source/Sicily).[8][9][10] Broccoli was spread to northern Europe by the 18th century and brought to North America in the 19th century by Italian immigrants.[9] After the Second World War, the breeding of the [United States](/source/Agriculture_in_the_United_States) and [Japanese](/source/Agriculture_in_Japan) [F1 hybrids](/source/F1_hybrid#In_plants) increased yields, quality, growth speed, and regional adaptation, which produced the cultivars commonly grown since then: 'Premium Crop', 'Packman', and 'Marathon'.[9]

## Description

Broccoli is an [annual](/source/Annual_vs._perennial_plant_evolution) [cruciferous](/source/Cruciferous_vegetables) plant which can grow up to 60–90 cm (24–35 in) tall.[11]

Broccoli [inflorescence](/source/Inflorescence) grows at the end of a central, edible stem and is dark green.[11] Violet, yellow, or even white heads have been created, but these varieties are rare. The flowers are yellow with four petals.

The growth season for broccoli is 14–15 weeks. Broccoli is collected by hand immediately after the head is fully formed yet the flowers are still in their bud stage. The plant develops numerous small "heads" from the lateral shoots which can be harvested later.

## Varieties

There are three commonly grown types of broccoli.[9] The most familiar is *Calabrese broccoli*, often referred to simply as "broccoli", named after [Calabria](/source/Calabria) in Italy. It has large 10 to 20-centimetre (4 to 8-inch) green heads and thick stalks. It is a cool-season annual crop. *Sprouting broccoli* (white or purple) has a larger number of heads with many thin stalks.[12] *Purple cauliflower* or *violet cauliflower* is a type of broccoli grown in [Europe](/source/Europe) and North America. It has a head shaped like cauliflower but consists of many tiny flower buds. Sometimes, but not always, it has a purple cast to the tips of the flower buds. Purple cauliflower may also be white, red, green, or other colors.[13]

*Beneforté* is a variety of broccoli containing 2–3 times more [glucoraphanin](/source/Glucoraphanin) and produced by crossing broccoli with a wild [Brassica](/source/Brassica) variety, *Brassica oleracea* var *villosa*.[14]

## Other cultivar groups of *Brassica oleracea*

Main article: [Brassica oleracea#Cultivar groups](/source/Brassica_oleracea#Cultivar_groups)

Other cultivar groups of *Brassica oleracea* include [cabbage](/source/Cabbage) (Capitata Group), [cauliflower](/source/Cauliflower) and [Romanesco broccoli](/source/Romanesco_broccoli) (Botrytis Group), [kale](/source/Kale) (Acephala Group), [collard](/source/Collard_(plant)) (Viridis Group), [kohlrabi](/source/Kohlrabi) (Gongylodes Group), [Brussels sprouts](/source/Brussels_sprout) (Gemmifera Group), and [kai-lan](/source/Kai-lan) (Alboglabra Group).[15] As these groups are the same species, they readily hybridize: for example, [broccolini](/source/Broccolini) or "Tenderstem broccoli" is a cross between broccoli and [kai-lan](/source/Kai-lan).[16] Broccoli cultivars form the genetic basis of the "tropical cauliflowers" commonly grown in South and Southeastern Asia, although they produce a more cauliflower-like head in warmer conditions.[17][9]

## Cultivation

The majority of broccoli cultivars are cool-weather crops that grow poorly in hot summer weather. Broccoli grows best in an average daily temperature range of 54–68 °F (12–20 °C).[18] When the cluster of flowers (also referred to as a "head") appears in the plant center, the cluster is generally green.[18] Garden pruners or shears are used to cut the head about 25 mm (1 in) from the tip.[18]

Broccoli* production 2024, millions of tonnes 9.8 9.8 1.0 0.7 0.7 World 26.9 *Combined with cauliflower; Source: FAOSTAT, United Nations[19]

The growth of the broccoli head is temperature dependent, with higher temperatures leading to poorer head formation, while growth slows below 41 °F (5 °C).[18] The specific response of broccoli to long-term heat-stress conditions, such as may occur with [climate change](/source/Climate_change), remain undetermined.[20][better source needed]

Broccoli is harvested before the flowers on the head bloom in a yellow color.[18] Broccoli cannot be harvested using machines, but rather is hand-harvested.[21]

## Production

In 2024, world production of broccoli (combined with [cauliflowers](/source/Cauliflower)) was 27 million [tonnes](/source/Tonne), with [China](/source/China) and [India](/source/India) together accounting for 73% of the total (table). Secondary producers, each having about one million tonnes or less annually, were the [United States](/source/United_States), [Mexico](/source/Mexico), and [Spain](/source/Spain).

In the United States, broccoli is grown year-round in [California](/source/California), which produced 92% of the crop nationally for sales as fresh produce in 2024.[22]

## Nutrition

Raw broccoli is 89% water, 7% [carbohydrates](/source/Carbohydrate), 3% [protein](/source/Protein_(nutrient)), and contains negligible [fat](/source/Fat) (table). A 100-gram (3.5-ounce) reference amount of raw broccoli provides 141 kilojoules (34 kilocalories) of [food energy](/source/Food_energy) and is a rich source (20% or higher of the [Daily Value](/source/Daily_Value), DV) of [vitamin C](/source/Vitamin_C) (99% DV) and [vitamin K](/source/Vitamin_K) (85% DV) (table). Raw broccoli also contains moderate amounts (10–19% DV) of several [B vitamins](/source/B_vitamins) and the [dietary mineral](/source/Mineral_(nutrient)) [potassium](/source/Potassium_in_biology), whereas other [micronutrients](/source/Micronutrient) are low in content (less than 10% DV). Broccoli contains the dietary [provitamin A](/source/Provitamin_A) carotenoid, [beta-carotene](/source/Beta-carotene).[23]

### Cooking

See also: [List of broccoli dishes](/source/List_of_broccoli_dishes)

Boiling substantially reduces the levels of broccoli [glucosinolates](/source/Glucosinolate), while other cooking methods, such as [steaming](/source/Steaming), [microwaving](/source/Microwave_oven), and [stir-frying](/source/Stir-frying), have no significant effect on glucosinolate levels.[3]

## Taste

The perceived bitterness of [cruciferous vegetables](/source/Cruciferous_vegetables), such as broccoli, results from [glucosinolates](/source/Glucosinolates) and their hydrolysis products, particularly [isothiocyanates](/source/Isothiocyanate) and other [sulfur](/source/Sulfur)-containing compounds.[24] Preliminary research indicates that [genetic inheritance](/source/Genetic_inheritance) through the gene [TAS2R38](/source/TAS2R38) may be responsible in part for bitter taste perception in broccoli.[25]

## Pests

The larvae of *[Pieris rapae](/source/Pieris_rapae)*, also known as the "small white" butterfly, are a common pest in broccoli and were mostly introduced accidentally to North America, Australia, and New Zealand.[26]

Additional pests common to broccoli production include:[27][28]

- [Aphids](/source/Aphid)
- [Cabbage looper](/source/Cabbage_looper)
- [Cabbage webworm](/source/Hellula_undalis)
- [Cross-striped cabbageworm](/source/Cross-striped_cabbageworm)
- [Diamondback moth](/source/Diamondback_moth)
- [Cabbage maggot](/source/Delia_radicum)
- [Harlequin cabbage bug](/source/Harlequin_cabbage_bug)

## See also

- [Broccolini](/source/Broccolini)
- [Epicuticular wax](/source/Epicuticular_wax)
- [George H. W. Bush broccoli comments](/source/George_H._W._Bush_broccoli_comments); the 41st U.S. president famously disliked the vegetable
- [Microgreen](/source/Microgreen)

## References

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## External links

- [PROTAbase on *Brassica oleracea (cauliflower and broccoli)*](https://web.archive.org/web/20160210161136/http://database.prota.org/dbtw-wpd/exec/dbtwpub.dll?AC=QBE_QUERY&BU=http%3A%2F%2Fdatabase.prota.org%2Fsearch.htm&TN=PROTAB~1&QB0=AND&QF0=Species+Code&QI0=Brassica+oleracea+cauliflower+and+broccoli&RF=Webdisplay) (archived 10 February 2016)
- [List of North American broccoli cultivars](http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cucurbit/wehner/vegcult/broccoli.html), USDA/ARS Vegetable Laboratory

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Broccoli](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoli?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.