Volume 4: Vegetables

Rapeseed

Volume 4: Vegetables

Rapeseed (芸薹菜), Vegetables (蔬類)

[Illustration: A detailed woodcut botanical illustration of a flowering rapeseed or cabbage plant (Brassica rapa), showing the stalk, yellow flowers in a cluster at the top, and large, veined basal leaves.]
This woodcut is a fine example of pre-modern Chinese botanical illustration, likely from a Bencao (materia medica) or agricultural treatise. The line work effectively conveys the texture and morphology of the plant for identification purposes. The plant shown, Yuntaicai, is known today as rapeseed or field mustard, valued historically for its edible leaves and oil-rich seeds.