View source for Acephala group

{{Short description|Type of Brassica plants}}
{{Infobox cultivar
| image = Collards in container.jpg
| image_alt = Three young plants of non-heading collard greens growing in a small office wastebasket with a water reservoir at the bottom
| image_caption = Three young plants of non-heading [[Collard (plant)|collard greens]] growing in a small office [[wastebasket]] with a water reservoir at the bottom
| species = ''[[Brassica oleracea]]''
| group = Acephala Group
| origin = unknown
| subdivision = Many; see text.
}}

The '''acephala group''' refers to any type of ''[[Brassica]]'' which grows without the central 'head' typical of many varieties of [[cabbage]]. These are included within the [[species]] ''[[Brassica oleracea]]'', such as [[kale]] (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''acephala'').<ref>''Random House Webster's College Dictionary'', New York 1992, p. 736 (s.v. kale)</ref> The name literally means "without a head" in contrast to those varieties known as ''capitata'' or "with a head". This group includes a number of species, both wild and cultivated, many of which are grown for their edible leaves and flowers.

==Groups of cultivars==
{{Split portions|section=y|Brassica oleracea#Cultivars|date=March 2023}}
Different sources break down the ''Brassica'' [[genus]] into different grouping as shown below:

===Mabberley===
Mabberley (q.v.) has these groups: Napobrassica Group / Pabularia Group / Acephala Group / Alboglabra Group / Botrytis Group / Capitata Group / Gemmifera Group / Gongylodes Group / Italica Group / Tronchuda Group / Chinensis Group / Japonica Group / Pekinensis Group / Perviridis Group /  Rapifera Group

===Royal Botanic Gardens Kew===
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew<ref>{{cite web|title=Brassica oleracea (wild cabbage)|url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:279435-1|publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens|website=kew.org}}</ref> has eight cultivar groups: Acephala Group (kale, borecole, collards) / Alboglabra Group (Chinese kale, Chinese broccoli, gai lan, kai lan) / Botrytis Group (broccoli, cauliflower, broccoflower, calabrese) / Capitata Group (cabbage, Savoy cabbage, red cabbage) / Gemmifera Group (sprouts, Brussels sprouts) / Gongylodes Group (kohlrabi, knol-kohl) / Italica Group (purple sprouting, sprouting broccoli) /  Tronchuda Group (Portuguese cabbage, seakale cabbage)

== Members ==
The Acephala group of [[cultivars]] or variety for the [[species]] ''[[Brassica oleracea]]'' includes:<ref>{{cite web|title=RHS Plant Finder|url=https://www.rhs.org.uk/plants|website=rhs.org.uk|publisher=Royal Horticultural Society|accessdate=25 November 2014}}</ref>
* [[kale]], or [[borecole]], or [[colewort]]<ref>''(Quote.)'' "Originally, a general name for any plant of the cabbage kind, genus ''Brassica'' (of which the varieties were formerly less distinct than now)." ("colewort, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, September 2014. Web. 26 November 2014.)</ref>
* [[curly kale]]
* [[Lacinato kale|Tuscan kale]] (cavolo nero), also known as black kale, Lacinato kale, or palm tree kale
* American English [[Collard (plant)|collard]] greens, or collard
* U.K. English [[Spring greens (Brassica oleracea)]]
* decorative kale,<ref>{{cite web |title=Plants for the Front Porch |url=http://www.gardening-guy.com/tag/decorative-kale |website=Henry Homeyer: The Gardening Guy |publisher=[[Henry Homeyer]]}}</ref> [[ornamental kale]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Ornamental Kale/Ornamental Cabbage|url=http://www.walterreeves.com/landscaping/ornamental-kaleornamental-cabbage/|publisher=Walter Reeves / The Simple Gardener, Inc|website=The Georgia Gardener|date=18 August 2010 }}</ref> flowering kale,<ref>{{cite web|title=Flowering kale|url=http://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/annual/flowering-kale/|website=Better Homes & Gardens|publisher=Meredith Corporation}}</ref> flowering cabbage,<ref>{{cite web|title=About Flowering Cabbage Plants|url=http://www.gardenguides.com/70082-flowering-cabbage-plants.html|publisher=Demand Media|website=Gardenguides.com}}</ref> or ornamental cabbage<ref>{{cite web|title=The ornamental cabbage|url=http://www.gardenersworld.com/blogs/plants/the-ornamental-cabbage/2897.html|author=James Alexander-Sinclair|publisher=[[Immediate Media Company Ltd]]|website=Gardenersworld.com|access-date=2014-11-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140711101414/http://www.gardenersworld.com/blogs/plants/the-ornamental-cabbage/2897.html|archive-date=2014-07-11|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Jersey cabbage]], ''Brassica oleracea longata''. The long woody stems are used for walking sticks and the foliage for cow-fodder.<ref>Mabberley, D. (1997) ''Mabberley's plant-book : A portable dictionary of plants, their classification and uses''. 3rd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref>
* Scotch kale<ref>{{cite web|website=Oxford Dictionaries|title=Definition of Scotch kale in English|url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Scotch-kale|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728232104/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/Scotch-kale|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 28, 2013}}</ref>

''Acephala'' means "no head"<ref>{{cite web|website=Merriam-Webster|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acephala|title=Merriam-Webster :Acephala}}{{subscription required|date=August 2016}}</ref> as the plants have leaves with no central head; the opposite arrangement of [[Cabbage|white cabbage]], or [[Savoy cabbage]]. Each cultivar has a different genome owing to mutation,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bio.cmu.edu/|title=Courses: "Genome evolution and mutation".|accessdate=25 November 2014}} {{closed access}}{{Password-protected}}</ref> evolution, ecological niche,<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.cub.2007.04.033|volume=17|issue=11|title=Coupling Genetic and Ecological-Niche Models to Examine How Past Population Distributions Contribute to Divergence|journal=Current Biology|pages=940–946|pmid=17475496 | last1 = Knowles | first1 = LL | last2 = Carstens | first2 = BC | last3 = Keat | first3 = ML|date=2007-06-05|s2cid=13891478|doi-access=free|bibcode=2007CBio...17..940K }}</ref> and intentional plant-breeding by humans. Mabberley (1997, p.&nbsp;120) has the Acephala group in three sub-groups: kale, borecole, and collards.<ref>Mabberley, q.v.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==

{{Brassica oleraca}}

[[Category:Brassica oleracea]]