Canola

Brassica napus

Canola plants have bright yellow flowers and produce seeds that are used to make healthy cooking oil. They grow in fields and are important for making food.

Habitat: Fields

Appearance

The Canola plant has slender, green stalks topped with dense clusters of small, bright yellow flowers. These vibrant blossoms create vast, golden fields, making it visually distinct from most other crops. Its simple, four-petaled flowers are characteristic.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderBrassicalesFamilyBrassicaceaeGenusBrassica

Canola

Interesting facts

Before it was 'Canola,' this plant was called rapeseed, but its oil was too bitter to eat!

Canola oil is the third most common cooking oil used around the entire world!

One tiny canola seed can sprout and grow into a plant with thousands of flowers!

The name 'Canola' means 'Canadian Oil, Low Acid' because it was developed in Canada!

Special abilities

Canola seeds can produce a high-quality, edible oil that helps it store energy for reproduction and makes it a valuable crop.

Canola can grow quickly from seed to harvest, allowing farmers to fit it into short growing seasons.

Canola has a strong root system that helps it efficiently take up water and nutrients from the soil.

Measurements & details

Height: 100-200 cm
Spread: 30-60 cm
Flower Size: 0.8-1.5 cm
Bloom Season: Spring_summer
Edible: Yes
Toxicity: None
Lifecycle: Annual
Pollination Method: Insect

Ecological connections

pollinates

European honey bee

Apis mellifera

Bees collect nectar and pollen

eaten by

diamondback moth

Plutella xylostella

Larvae feed on leaves

eaten by

crucifer flea beetle

Phyllotreta cruciferae

Beetles eat leaves and stems

Traits

Oil Crop

This human use trait identifies species cultivated as oil crops, harvested for their seeds or fruits from which vegetable oils are extracted for food, fuel, or industrial uses.