Eruca sativa
Eruca sativa is an annual flowering plant in the mustard family, Brassicaceae. Its peppery leaves are eaten as rocket or arugula.
Brassicaceae: Brassicaceae is a flowering-plant family that includes cabbages, mustards, radishes, and rocket. Eruca sativa belongs to this family, whose shared traits help identify it.
Arugula: Arugula is the North American name for the peppery salad green commonly identified with Eruca sativa. This is the common name used for the plant's edible leaves in North America.
Plant life cycle: A plant life cycle is the sequence of development from seed through growth and reproduction to the next generation. It describes the annual progression from rocket seed to mature, seed-producing plant.
Wild rocket: Wild rocket is Diplotaxis tenuifolia, a perennial or short-lived perennial salad plant with narrow, deeply divided leaves. It is a closely related salad green often sold alongside Eruca sativa as rocket.
Mediterranean cuisine: Mediterranean cuisine comprises food traditions from countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and nearby regions. Rocket has a long culinary presence in Mediterranean food traditions.
Annual plant: An annual plant completes its life cycle, from germination to seed production, within one growing season. Rocket grows from seed, flowers, and sets seed within a season.
Rocket (food): Rocket is the English name, especially in Britain and Australia, for the peppery leaves of Eruca sativa. This is the common culinary name for its leaves in many English-speaking regions.
Seed germination: Seed germination is the resumption of growth in a seed embryo under suitable conditions. Rocket cultivation begins when its seeds absorb water and sprout.
White mustard: White mustard, Sinapis alba, is an annual mustard-family plant cultivated for seeds, condiments, and green manure. Its pungent seed chemistry and family membership parallel those of rocket.
Ancient Roman cuisine: Ancient Roman cuisine was the food culture of Rome and its territories, shaped by local agriculture and trade. Roman writers described rocket as a pungent food and medicinal plant.