Crambe hispanica, Crambe abyssinica,
Abyssinian mustard, Abyssinian-kale, Colewort,
Hebrew: כרבה ספרדית, Arabic: الكرنب الإسباني

Scientific name:  Crambe hispanica L.
Synonym name:  Crambe abyssinica Hochst. ex R.E.Fries
Common name:  Abyssinian mustard, Abyssinian-kale, Colewort
Hebrew name:  כרבה ספרדית
Arabic name:  الكرنب الإسباني
Family:  Cruciferae / Brassicaceae, Cabbage family, מצליבים

Crambe hispanica, Crambe abyssinica, Abyssinian mustard, Abyssinian-kale, Colewort, الكرنب الإسباني,כרבה ספרדית

Life form:  Annual
Stems:  25-100 cm high, slender, usually hispid; branching mostly in the upper half
Leaves:  Lower leaves lyrate-pinnatisect, reniform terminal lobe and 0-2 pairs of small lateral lobesAlternate, dentate or serrate; margin, dentate or serrate
Inflorescence:  A long panicled raceme, the lateral branches of which are sharply ascending and shorter than the primiary axis
Flowers:  Hermaphrodite, petals white
Fruits / pods:  Pods numerous, spherical, one-seeded, indehiscent; seed interior yellow; first-formed pods usually remain on stalk until last-formed pods mature
Flowering Period:  January, February, March, April
Habitat:   Batha, Phrygana
Distribution:  Mediterranean Woodlands and Shrublands, Semi-steppe shrublands, Montane vegetation of Mt. Hermon
Chorotype:  Mediterranean
Summer shedding:  Ephemeral

Crambe hispanica, Crambe abyssinica, Abyssinian mustard, Abyssinian-kale, Colewort,الكرنب الإسباني ,כרבה ספרדית


Derivation of the botanical name:
Crambe , seakale, the Greek name for cabbage.
hispanica, Spanish.
abyssinica, Abyssinian.
  • The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy.
  • The standard author abbreviation Hochst. is used to indicate Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Hochstetter (1787 – 1860), a German botanist and Protestant minister.
  • The standard author abbreviation R.E.Fries is used to indicate Robert Elias Fries (1876 – 1966), a Swedish botanist.

Crambe hispanica, Crambe abyssinica, Abyssinian mustard, Abyssinian-kale, Colewort, الكرنب الإسباني, כרבה ספרדית


Flora of Israel online, Native plants, Palestine