Eruca sativa Seeds | Arugula
LATIN NAME: Eruca sativa
COMMON NAME: Arugula
Plant Profile
Eruca sativa — Arugula — is a species in the brassica family with genuine garden merit. Arugula is quick, peppery, salad leaf of warm gardens, and its dark, lobed leaves have been a familiar of table for a very long time. Low, leafy plant sends up rosette of deeply lobed, dark-green leaves with a fine, peppery bite, and later small, white, four-petalled flowers with dark veins open on upright stems. Young leaves are heart of salad bowl, and plant is one of fastest and easiest of salad crops. Add these qualities together and you have a species well worth a place in the garden.
Science & Biotechnology
Research touching on Eruca sativa ranges from the botany of the brassica family to practical horticulture, including seed handling, propagation and the selection of superior forms. Arugula has a steady and growing place in the plant science, and it has been studied as a fast, peppery salad crop and a member of the brassica family. Continuing work by breeders and collectors keeps good seed of this species moving through the trade.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Arugula earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. Arugula is grown for quick, peppery leaves. Young, dark, lobed leaves are heart of salad bowl, and they add a fine, peppery bite to salads, sandwiches, pizzas and pasta dishes. Plant is one of fastest and easiest of salad crops, giving leaves in good time of sowing, and small, white flowers with dark veins are a fine, easy addition to salad as well. Getting it going is easy; keeping it going is easier still.
Rocket or arugula is a glucosinolate-rich salad green of the cabbage family, carrying the same studied cancer-protective compounds as broccoli, with a peppery bite loved since Roman times.
Growing from Seed
Arugula grows readily from seed. A simple routine works well: sow evenly over the surface and cover lightly in a loose, well-drained seed compost, maintain even moisture, and provide bright light. Transplant the sturdiest seedlings to their permanent spots and let them develop without disturbance.
Our Take
Its long record of traditional use, described above, gives the plant a story beyond ornament. Part of this plant’s appeal is the long practical history summarized above. Minor errors in timing or watering rarely cost the grower the crop.
Related Reading
If Arugula appeals to you, these related plants are worth a look: