Family: Cabbage [Brassicaceae (Cruciferae)]

Alliaria

Alyssum

Arabidopsis

Arabis

Armoracia

Aubrieta

Aurinia

Barbarea

Berteroa

Brassica

Bunias

Cakile

Calepina

Camelina

Capsella

Cardamine

Carrichtera

Chorispora

Cochlearia

Coincya

Conringia

Crambe

Descurainia

Diplotaxis

Draba

Enarthrocarpus

Erophila

Eruca

Erucaria

Erucastrum

Erysimum

Euclidium

Hesperis

Hirschfeldia

Hornungia

Iberis

Isatis

Lepidium

Lobularia

Lunaria

Malcolmia

Matthiola

Microthlaspi

Moricandia

Myagrum

Nasturtium

Neslia

Noccaea

Pachyphragma

Peltaria

Pseudoturritis

Raphanus

Rapistrum

Rorippa

Sinapis

Sisymbrium

Subularia

Teesdalia

Thelypodium

Thlaspi

Turritis

All plants in the Brassicaceae family have four sepals and four petals, except Narrow-leaver Pepperwort, which is usually petal-less. Most plants in this family have white petals, but some have yellow petals, fewer purple, mauve, lilac or pink. Most have six stamens, but some only 4/2 (Cardamine, Hornungia and Lepidium) whilst other Genera may have 4 long stamens plus two short ones. Generally, the most reliable indicator of identity between species and Genera of plants belonging to the Cabbage Family are the seeds/pods/fruits: their size, their shape, their poise and their colour. If the fruits can be seen from all angles then there is a much better chance of obtaining a true identification. The shape and size of the leaves is next and the shape and presence or absence of any lobes or teeth. THE UV-B SUNSCREEN IN BRASSICACEAE Sinapoyl Malate is the phenolic ester produced by the phenolic acid and phenylpropanoid Sinapic Acid and Malonic Acid. The Sinapic Acid structure is just shown for information, it does not occur in much quantity in the plants. The Malonic Acid moiety is shown in blue. It is produced in the leaves of Brassicaceae species, and is close to the surface of the leaves. It acts as a very wide-band absorber of UV-B radiation from the sun, which protects the leaves from sunburn. Remarkably, Sinapoyl Malate is able to absorb over the whole UV-B band (without any gaps) which covers 280 to 315 nm wavelengths which is mostly absorbed by the protective upper atmospheric ozone layer around Earth, but some does leak through, enough to give fair skinned animals sunburn. UV-B damages the DNA within plants. Other Sinapate esters are also produced in the leaves of Brassica species but these are not as effective UV-B blocks as is Sinapoyl Malate. They were first identified in Thale Cress, but now found to be present in most Brassica species.