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Old 31-07-2004, 08:40 PM
Tim Tyler
 
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Default Wild wild rocket

Nick Maclaren wrote or quoted:

Having checked up in Culpeper, CTW, the OED etc., the situation is
as follows:

The rocket that supermarkets sell has been called rocket or
garden rocket (I was wrong about sweet rocket), and is Eruca sativa
(Brassica eruca etc.) We all agreed on the last.


[...]

Interestingly, "blue rocket" has been applied to aconite,
delphinium and bluebell (two of which are seriously poisonous), and
there are several other non-brassicas called rockets.

The term "wild rocket" has been applied to a fair number of them,
including at least Sisymbrium officinale, but I believe that the
supermarkets have invented it as a marketing term for another variety
of Eruca sativa.

So there is no reasonable sense in which it is a common name for what
the supermarkets are selling, unless I am wrong and they really ARE
selling Sisymbrium officinale - and what I saw sold as wild rocket
was definitely Eruca sativa ...


The identification problem is compounded by the existence of variants
of Eruca sativa with Sisymbrium officinale-like forked leaves,
and the fact that the supermarkets never include any flowers or
buds (:) - but - AFAICT - at least some supermarkets claiming to be
selling wild rocket are indeed selling Sisymbrium officinale.

Regarding "wild" wild rockets - there are a few of those in
hedgerows around here.

I've tried some of them, and they taste quite different from
the wild rocket that I grow in my garden (though the yellow
flowers look the same). They are not as nice tasting - and
are stronger. I keep meaning to dig some up and take them
home, nontheless...
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