Editing Cabbage (section)

==Taxonomy==
[[File:Chou 1.jpg|thumb|Cabbage]]
Cabbage (''Brassica oleracea'' or ''B.&nbsp;oleracea'' var. ''capitata'',<ref name=USDA/> var. ''tuba'', var. ''sabauda''<ref name=WI1>{{cite web|url=http://learningstore.uwex.edu/assets/pdfs/A3684.PDF|title=Growing broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and other cole crops in Wisconsin|publisher=University of Wisconsin|access-date=2012-08-12|year=1997|author1=Delahaut, K. A.  |author2=Newenhouse, A. C|page=1}}</ref> or var. ''acephala'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=BROL|title=''Brassica oleracea'' L.&nbsp;– Cabbage|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|access-date=2012-08-10}}</ref> is a member of the genus ''[[Brassica]]'' and the mustard family [[Brassicaceae]]. Several other [[cruciferous vegetables]] (sometimes known as ''cole crops''<ref name=WI1/>) are [[cultivar]]s of ''B.&nbsp;oleracea'', including [[broccoli]], [[collard greens]], [[brussels sprouts]], [[kohlrabi]] and [[sprouting broccoli]]. All of these developed from the wild cabbage ''B.&nbsp;oleracea'' var. ''oleracea'', also called [[colewort]] or field cabbage. This original species [[evolved]] over thousands of years into those seen today, as [[Selective breeding|selection]] resulted in cultivars having different characteristics, such as large heads for cabbage, large leaves for [[kale]] and thick stems with flower buds for broccoli.<ref name=USDA>{{cite web|url=http://plants.usda.gov/java/ClassificationServlet?source=profile&symbol=BROL&display=31|title=Classification for species ''Brassica oleracea'' L.|publisher=United States Department of Agriculture|work=PLANTS database|access-date=2012-08-10}}</ref>

"Cabbage" was originally used to refer to multiple forms of ''B.&nbsp;oleracea'', including those with loose or non-existent heads.<ref name=Texas/> A related species, ''[[Brassica rapa]]'', is commonly named Chinese, napa or celery cabbage, and has many of the same uses.<ref>{{cite book|title=Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini: The Essential Reference|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cWyWGlcmvO0C&pg=PA196|pages=195–196|author=Schneider, Elizabeth|publisher=HarperCollins|year=2001|isbn=978-0-688-15260-4}}</ref> It is also a part of common names for several unrelated species. These include cabbage bark or cabbage tree (a member of the genus ''[[Andira]]'') and cabbage palms, which include several genera of [[palm tree|palms]] such as ''[[Mauritia]]'', ''[[Roystonea oleracea]]'', ''[[Acrocomia]]'' and ''Euterpe oenocarpus''.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ygkoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PT337|page=337|title=Winston's Cumulative Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Reference Book|volume=2|author=Morris, Charles|publisher=J. C. Winston|year=1915}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_n82hsbDJBMC&pg=PA150|page=150|title=Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago: On Historical Principles|author=Winer, Lise|publisher=McGill-Queen's Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7735-3406-3}}</ref>

=== Etymology ===
The original family name of brassicas was ''Cruciferae'', which derived from the flower petal pattern thought by medieval Europeans to resemble a [[crucifix]].<ref name="Katz279">[[#Katz|Katz and Weaver]], p. 279</ref> The word ''brassica'' derives from ''bresic'', a [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] word for cabbage.<ref name="Texas">{{cite web|url=http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/vegetabletravelers/cabbage.html|title=Of Cabbages and Celts|access-date=2013-10-19|publisher=Texas A&M University|work=Aggie Horticulture}}</ref> The varietal [[botanical name|epithet]] ''capitata'' is derived from the [[Latin]] word for 'having a head'.<ref name="Small 2009">{{cite book |author=Small, Ernst |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nyWY_YkV7qAC&pg=PA127 |title=Top 100 Food Plants |publisher=NRC Research Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-660-19858-3 |page=127}}</ref>

Many European and Asiatic names for cabbage are derived from the [[Proto-Slavic borrowings|Celto-Slavic]] root ''cap'' or ''kap'', meaning "head".<ref name="Sturtevant 1919" /> The [[late Middle English]] word ''cabbage'' derives from the word ''caboche'' ("head"), from the [[Picard language|Picard dialect]] of [[Old French]]. This in turn is a variant of the Old French ''caboce''.<ref name="Oxford">{{cite book|page=[https://archive.org/details/oxforddictionary0000unse_x2z7/page/76 76]|title=The Oxford Dictionary of Word Histories|editor=Chantrell, Glynnis|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2002|isbn=978-0-19-863121-7|url=https://archive.org/details/oxforddictionary0000unse_x2z7/page/76}}</ref>