Rapa

This plant is an instance of the effect of the sun’s inclination on vegetable growth. In northern Europe it is grown extensively and fed to cattle. In the far south it is one of spring’s most welcome greenstuffs. Sown broadcast in autumn in a cultivated patch, it bridges the gap in February/March between winter’s asparagus chicory, spinach, fennel and the advent of the native artichoke. The plant produces a central flower head which, cut before the stem develops, induces other flower- heads