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Syllabus Revision

The syllabus says this week's painting subject is Ornamental Cabbage (hanakyabetsu - 花キャベツ). While it is true that some Japanese dictionaries say that hanakyabetsu is an ornamental cabbage, it turns our that a much more common Japanese word for the same plant, actually an ornamental kale, is habotan (ハボタン). With that, we move on to ... 

About Ornamental Kale (habotan) (Brassica oleracea)

Brassica oleracea is the Latin scientific name for the wild mustard plant, a remarkably flexible plant for breeders.

Domestication of the plant is thought to have began over 6,000 years ago. It is a pretty useful plant besides its seeds which are one of the ingredients of the popular condiment, mustard. The leaves are edible, nutritious, and very high in vitamin C. Oil extracted from the seeds helps produce biodiesel fuels. The meal leftover is an effective pesticide.

The most important property of Brassica oleracea is its ability to morph into various forms or sub-species when properly cultivated. The chart below shows some of them. See if you recognize any of them.

Kale was one of the earliest varieties to be created, emerging in Europe over 2,300 years ago. Savoy cabbages were created  around 1,200 AD. Brussels sprouts appeared about the same time. By 1,400 AD, Kohlrabi had appeared. Broccoli came along in the 1,500s.

Today, the various sub-species of B. oleracea are organized into groups. Common names for plants in the Acephala group are Collard, Collards, Decorative Kale. Decorative Kales, Flowering Kale, Flowering Kales, Kale, Kales, Ornamental Cabbage, Ornamental Cabbages, and Ornamental Kale.

Focusing on kale, the plant is grown for its leaves which are green or purple. There is no central head as with cabbage. It first appeared in the eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor. In the United States, it was used mostly as a garnish until the 1990s when its nutritional value was finally widely appreciated.

Among the varieties of kale cultivated are ones with multi-colored leaves. Ornamental kale leaves are edible (some sources say not), but they aren't quite as palatable as ordinary kale. Ornamental kale is this week's painting subject.

It is promoted as a winter ground cover that maintains its appearance for the whole season, is easy to grow, and has few pests.

There are several varieties of ornamental kale. The one pictured below is another variety. The central colored portion is called a rosette.

The ornamental kale pictured below is a hybrid variety called "crane red."

This is much more typical of what people think of when they think of ornamental kale.

Winter landscapers can be enthusiastic about ornamental kale.

Some wonderful effects can be achieved with multiple varieties of ornamental kale.

And finally, habotan

Artwork

The only piece of artwork I found featuring this week's painting subject was by ...

Shōdō Kawarazaki (1889 - 1973)

Little information is available about Shōdō other than he was a Kyōtō-based painter and print designer specializing in plants who worked into modern times. Many of his works were reprinted in the 1950s when interest in Japanese art surged due to American troops occupying Japan during that time. The print below is "Red Kale."