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Why are Brassicaceae plants also called crucifers?
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Brassicales
Broccoli (Brassica oleracea, variety italica).
Plants in the Brassicaceae family are commonly called "crucifers" because of the shape of their flowers. These flowers are described as cruciform, meaning they are arranged in the form of a cross.1
This characteristic structure features four petals and four sepals. The term is derived from the Latin cruc- (cross) and -fer (bearing), reflecting this distinct floral morphology. Historically, the family was also known by the synonym Cruciferae for this same reason.123