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Mustard Collard—Brassica carinata L.1

James M. Stephens 2

Mustard collard is a green leafy (somewhat stemmy) vegetable that, as the name implies, is a near relative of collards and mustard. The flavor of the cooked, canned, or frozen greens is somewhat milder than collards and without the pungency of mustard greens.

The plant was imported in 1957 from Ethiopia where it is grown in small fields near villages. In Europe, it is sold under the trade name of Ethiopian rapeseed. When tried in North Florida in the fall, it produced quite well.

In 1972 the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station released a selection of mustard collard named TAMU Tex Sel. In early growth the plant develops a rosette of leaves from a very short stem. As the plant matures, a single seed stem grows into a flower cluster. Plants may be 3 to 5 feet tall. In Texas it produced an average of 16 tons of greens per acre in 53 days. A decade or more after its release, Tex Sel has yet to become a popular vegetable even in Texas. For this reason, seeds are scarce.

Figure 1. Mustard collard.
Figure 1.  Mustard collard.
Credit: UF/IFAS

Footnotes

1. This document is HS629, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date May 1994. Revised September 2015. Reviewed October 2018. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
2. James M. Stephens, professor emeritus, Horticultural Sciences Department; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.

Publication #HS629

Release Date:November 1st, 2018

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Stephens, James M.

Specialist/SSA/RSA

University of Florida

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