Rapeseed flower plants grow straight in clusters, with green stems and yellow flowers. The basal leaves grow in a spiral shape. The stem leaves are usually alternate and have no stipules. The flowers are bisexual, radially symmetrical, with 4 petals arranged in a cross shape. The flower pieces are like rice paper, bright yellow and thin. There are usually 6 stamens, 4 long and 2 short, usually called the "four strong stamens". The pistil is composed of two carpels, and the ovary is located higher. The stems are cylindrical, mostly between 0.1-0.8 cm in diameter, with many branches and soft stems; the leaves are alternate, large, dark green, without petioles and stipes.
In March and April, flowers bloom on the stem tips. The flowers are racemes with four yellow-green sepals and a four-petal yellow corolla in the shape of a cross. The fruit is a silique. In summer, it splits when mature and releases seeds, which are purple-black or yellow.
Extended information
Economic value of rapeseed
Development of China’s rapeseed industry Rapeseed is the most important oil crop in China, with seed oil content ranging from 33% to 50%. . Since 1995, the annual planting area has been 100 million acres, with an annual output of nearly 10 million tons of rapeseed, accounting for 40% to 45% of the total output of oil crops (excluding soybeans); it also produces about 6 million tons of rapeseed cake. Meal.
The protein content of cake meal is as high as 40%. The amino acid composition of rapeseed protein is reasonable. Its lysine content is equivalent to that of soybeans, while the content of sulfur-containing amino acids such as lysine and methionine is higher than that of soybean protein. It is the largest source of high-quality feed protein to be developed and utilized in China.
In addition to being used to extract edible oil and feed, rapeseed can also be used to make margarine and artificial protein in the food industry. It is also widely used in metallurgy, machinery, rubber, chemical industry, paint, textile, soap making, paper making, leather and medicine, etc., and has important economic value.
Baidu Encyclopedia—rape flower