Brassica rapa is a single species that farmers have shaped into very different crops: turnip, yellow and brown sarson, toria, pak choi, napa cabbage and broccoli rabe. In North India the oilseed forms give much of the mustard oil, and shalgam turnips are pickled and cooked in winter. Kashmiri kitchens cook turnip as gogji. Brown mustard, the kadugu of Tamil kitchens, is a different species, Brassica juncea.
- Botanical name
- Brassica rapa L.
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Tamil
- Shalgam
- Hindi
- Shalgam
- Sanskrit
- Svetasharṣapa
- Parts used
- Root, Leaf, Seed
- Habit
- Mustard-family crop; turnip root, yellow sarson and pak choi are one species
- Last updated
- 2026-10-27
How to recognise Turnip
It is an annual or biennial, from knee-high to waist-high in flower, with bright grass-green leaves.
Lower leaves are lobed and roughly hairy, while upper leaves are smooth and clasp the stem with ear-like bases.
Bright yellow four-petalled flowers form loose clusters, and the open flowers stand higher than the unopened buds at the tip.
Turnip forms a swollen white or purple-topped root; sarson and toria form tall stems of slender pods.
Brown mustard has stalked upper leaves that do not clasp the stem, which helps tell it apart.
Traditional use of Turnip
Kitchen
Shalgam is cooked as a sabzi or pickled in mustard oil in Punjab, and Kashmiri gogji is stewed with meat or dal.
North Indian and Kashmiri food practice
Kitchen
Young sarson greens go into sarson ka saag, though Punjabi saag may use brown mustard greens as well.
Punjabi food practice
Farming
Toria is a short rabi oilseed sown after the monsoon in Assam, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, ready in about three months.
Indian farm practice
Modern notes on Turnip
Traditional mustard and rapeseed oils are high in erucic acid. Canadian breeders used this species and Brassica napus to create low-erucic canola in the 1970s.
The plants contain glucosinolates that give a peppery or bitter bite and break down into isothiocyanates when chopped.
Turnip roots supply vitamin C and fibre, and the greens are richer in calcium, folate and vitamin K.
Its genome was sequenced in 2011 and helps breeders of many brassica crops.
Turnip safety
The vegetables are safe foods. People on warfarin should keep their intake of the leafy greens steady because of vitamin K.
Ecology and sourcing
Wild forms grow as weeds across Europe and Asia, and the crop was domesticated in more than one region.
Yellow sarson flowers are largely self-pollinating, while brown sarson and toria need insects such as honeybees.
Aphids are its main pest in Indian winter fields.
Related plants
Also in Brassicaceae
Questions about Turnip
Are turnip and sarson really one species?
Yes. They are crop forms of Brassica rapa.
Is pak choi the same species?
Yes, as is napa cabbage.
Is Tamil kadugu from Turnip plant?
No. Kadugu is brown mustard, Brassica juncea.
What is toria?
A quick-maturing oilseed form sown as a short winter crop.
What is gogji?
The Kashmiri name for turnip.
Sources
- Brassica rapa L. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q3384 (Brassica rapa)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.