# Educate me on one of the finer points of botany, please (Brussels sprouts) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 14, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289 "2013-05-14T03:33:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/1 "2013-05-14T03:33:04Z")
Okay, I may need to be disabused of the outcome of an intuitive leap I made yesterday. See, it’s always been my impression that a “sprout” is the immature form of a plant (after it’s developed past the point where it would be proper to refer to it as a “seed,” that is, after it has germinated). And that, left in an environment conducive to plant formation, a sprout would eventually become a fully-fledged\* plant Thus, bean sprouts would grow into [bean stalks,](http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=elmer+fudd+chia+head&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=elmer+fudd+chia+head&sc=0-16&sp=-1&sk=#view=detail&id=FC36BBAE54DCA11CE11BABD1344E8F78351E195C&selectedIndex=1) alfalfa sprouts would grow into [a hayfield,](http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=alfalfa+hayfield+pictures&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=alfalfa+hayfield+pictures&sc=0-17&sp=-1&sk=#view=detail&id=1707CC12F06714975A8478D36E96AB2143E4803B&selectedIndex=7) and chia sprouts would grow into a cute little green hairstyle on a [terracotta sculpture of Elmer Fudd’s head.](http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=elmer+fudd+chia+head&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=elmer+fudd+chia+head&sc=0-16&sp=-1&sk=#view=detail&id=FC36BBAE54DCA11CE11BABD1344E8F78351E195C&selectedIndex=1) What to Brussels sprouts grow into? I asked my daughter yesterday in Costco, when we passed a display of Brussels sprouts, and her speculation was that they grow into Belgian waffles, but I think she was just trying to be funny. TIA for any responses. \*metaphorically speaking, of course. I _do_ understand that plants don’t generally have feathers, duhhr. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/2 "2013-05-14T03:51:34Z")
A sprout is not just a seedling, but any kind of plant shoot. A sprout can emerge from a seed, but also can come up from roots or off stems. Brussels sprouts don’t grow into anything. They are [shoots that emerge off the side of the ste](http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/assets/brussels-sprouts.jpg)m of a kind of cabbage. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/3 "2013-05-14T04:01:36Z")
Brussels sprouts, you might note, somewhat resemble miniature cabbages, and I believe are are in fact related. They grow on the sides of larger stalks, and are basically the new growth buds that will (I think) grow into larger balls of leaves that resemble cabbages. They are not newly sprouted seedlings. Stay tuned, I’ll google up some pics. . . . ETA: Here: This appears to be [a diagram rather than a photo](http://www.brussels-sprouts.com/bsproutsca.jpg), but it shows the structure of the plant well. ETA: Okay, so **Colibri** ninjaed. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/4 "2013-05-14T05:16:02Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Brussels sprouts, you might note, somewhat resemble miniature cabbages, and I believe are are in fact related. Same species, actually. The cabbage _Brassica oleracea_ has a very large number of distinct cultivars. Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, collard greens, cauliflower, and kohlrabi all belong to the same botanical species. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/5 "2013-05-14T05:35:24Z")
I always thought Kohlrabi was a medieval-era Jewish Talmudic scholar/philosopher. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/6 "2013-05-14T07:01:17Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Brussels sprouts don’t grow into anything. They are [shoots that emerge off the side of the ste](http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/assets/brussels-sprouts.jpg)m of a kind of cabbage. They’re just buds, probably the same general anatomy as the terminal bud on the top of the stalk - on a modern cultivar, they’re probably too densely spaced to develop properly, but if left completely alone to develop beyond normal harvesting time, I would expect sprouts to ‘blow’ open and produce a little panicle of flowers. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/7 "2013-05-14T07:55:14Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Same species, actually. > > The cabbage _Brassica oleracea_ has a very large number of distinct cultivars. Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, collard greens, cauliflower, and kohlrabi all belong to the same botanical species. Wow! They are all cultivars of the same species? I am astounded. What a remarkable set of phenotypic variations! I would have maybe posited the same genus, but the same species? Never. Good thing I don’t make my money as a biologist. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/8 "2013-05-14T10:31:59Z")
[Brassicas](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_of_U) are really good at this - see also [the turnip/oilseed rape(one kind)/various leaf veggies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brassica_rapa) ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/9 "2013-05-14T14:32:47Z")
they grow up into brussels. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/10 "2013-05-14T15:06:05Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I always thought Kohlrabi was a medieval-era Jewish Talmudic scholar/philosopher. Rabbi Kohlrabi was known for adding horseradish to the Hollandaise sauce at the Passover Seder. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/11 "2013-05-14T15:47:08Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Same species, actually. > > The cabbage _Brassica oleracea_ has a very large number of distinct cultivars. Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, collard greens, cauliflower, and kohlrabi all belong to the same botanical species. Wow, I had no idea that these were all the same species. Thanks for feeding me some really cool knowledge. Gotta love the Dope **Capt** ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/12 "2013-05-14T17:50:37Z")
Just eat your damn Brussels sprouts. They’re quite tasty steamed or sauteed, you know. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/13 "2013-05-14T18:14:38Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Same species, actually. > > The cabbage _Brassica oleracea_ has a very large number of distinct cultivars. Cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, collard greens, cauliflower, and kohlrabi all belong to the same botanical species. That’s fascinating, considering that species produces two of my favorite vegetables and two of my least favorite! ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/14 "2013-05-14T18:39:13Z")
I knew about all (or at least most) of the _B. oleracea_ cultivars, but I never realized that turnips and rapeseed were also closely related. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/15 "2013-05-14T18:41:57Z")
To me as well. I mean, I knew they were all the same species, but I love collards and cabbage and Brussels sprouts and don’t care much for broccoli and cauliflower. Weird. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/16 "2013-05-14T18:47:16Z")
A pleaseant surprise that I had with my brussels sprouts once was I had grown too many. It was time to rotate my crops so I just pulled the remaining ones up and tossed them up against a wooden fence where the weeds were a bit overgrown. The spot I tossed them was cool, damp and breezy with plenty of fresh air. 2 months later I looked at them and they were still as fresh as ever on the stalks. I coudn’t believe it. They were just as tasty as the fresh picked sprouts. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/17 "2013-05-14T18:56:58Z")
they also will make it through lots of winter and cold, weeks into snow and freezing and they still might be good. others in that species are also hardy. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/18 "2013-05-14T20:19:17Z")
It is said that a hard frost before picking really improves the flavor, I live in So Cal with no frost and they seemed fine but are possibly better in a colder climate. I plant mine sept through about april here but they would proably do allright with our mostly cool summers on the coast. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/19 "2013-05-14T20:30:43Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > To me as well. I mean, I knew they were all the same species, but I love collards and cabbage and Brussels sprouts and don’t care much for broccoli and cauliflower. Weird. That’s kind of interesting, as to me they all have a common pungent “Brassica” flavor, for lack of better descriptor. (Which I love. But my wife is similar to you, only inverted: she lives broccoli and cauliflower, but is at best indifferent to cabbage, collards, and Brussels sprouts.) ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289/20 "2013-05-14T21:57:04Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > I always thought Kohlrabi was a medieval-era Jewish Talmudic scholar/philosopher. Who do you think invented the Kol Nidrei? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/educate-me-on-one-of-the-finer-points-of-botany-please-brussels-sprouts/658289.md?page=2)