Broccoflower

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title: "Broccoflower" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["brassica-oleracea", "inflorescence-vegetables"] description: "Edible plant" topic_path: "general/brassica-oleracea" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broccoflower" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Edible plant ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox Cultivar | name = Broccoflower"]

Field	Value
image	Broccoflower_closeup.jpg
image_caption	Green cauliflower
species	Brassica oleracea
group	Botrytis cultivar group
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| image = Broccoflower_closeup.jpg | image_caption = Green cauliflower | species = Brassica oleracea | group = Botrytis cultivar group | origin = | subdivision = Broccoflower is either of two edible plants of the species Brassica oleracea with light green heads. The edible portion is the immature flower head (inflorescence) of the plant.

Broccoli and cauliflower are different cultivars of the same species, and as such are fully cross compatible by hand pollination or natural pollinators. There are two forms of Brassica oleracea that may be referred to as broccoflower, both of which are considered cultivars of cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) because they have inflorescent meristems rather than flower buds when harvested. One is shaped like regular cauliflower, the other has pointed, conical, spiraling clusters of florets. They share a curd color that is a similar hue to that of broccoli.

Green cauliflower

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Cauliflower_broccoflower.jpg" caption="Broccoflower can sometimes refer to green cauliflower (right), in contrast to white variants (left)"] ::

The first form of broccoflower has the physical attributes of a white cauliflower, but the curd color is lime-green. There are several cultivars of green cauliflower on the market, with the first release being Green Ball, with parentage of both broccoli and cauliflower. The California firm Tanimura & Antle trademarked the word "Broccoflower" for the green cauliflower that it markets.

Romanesco broccoli

Main article: Romanesco broccoli

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Romanesco_broccoli_(Brassica_oleracea).jpg" caption="The name ''broccoflower'' also refers to Romanesco broccoli"] ::

The second form is Romanesco broccoli, which is characterised by the striking and unusual fractal patterns of its flower head. It has a yellow or vibrant green curd color.

References

References

1. Watts, LE. (1968). "Natural cross-pollination and the identification of hybrids between botanical varieties of Brassica oleracea". Euphytica.
2. (1994). "Cultivar identification within broccoli, ''Brassica oleracea'' L. var. ''italica'' Plenck and cauliflower, ''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''botrytis'' L.".
3. (1971). "Green Ball: A New Type of Cauliflower". Michigan State University, Agricultural Experiment Station.
4. "Broccoflower brand green cauliflower from Tanimura & Antle".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::