Abyssinian Kale, Crambe
Crambe abyssinica

Family: Brassicaceae or Cruciferae

What it is like

Crambe hispanica abyssinica (Crambe abyssinica) or Abyssinian Kale is an erect plant that grows about 2 meters in height. It is much-branched, mainly in the upper half of the plant. It is commonly found in north eastern tropical Africa. The fruits are used in the treatment of snakebites. The leaves are edible. The seed yields oil which is used for lighting, making plastics and nylon. Seed residues are made into crambe meal is used as plywood and rubber adhesive, as a source of protein isolates, and as an additive to waxes. It can also be used as an insecticide. Abyssinian Kale are also used in crop rotations to control weeds, pest, and diseases.

Crambe abyssinica is a ANNUAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 1

Where it is found

Grassland and waste ground, and as a weed in agricultural fields, at elevations from 1,200 - 2,600 metres.

Northeastern tropical Africa - Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, northeastern Zaire, Tanzania.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 1

Leaves.

Oil: Oil

Medicine

Rating: 0

The fruits are used in traditional medicine to treat snake bites.

Other

Rating: 4

Agroforestry Uses: Crambe meal is used in crop rotations for alleviating weed, pest and disease build-up. Other Uses The oil from the seed contains erucic acid. It is used for lighting and making plastics. The seed oil is one of the richest known sources of erucic acid and crambe appears to be a better potential domestic crop than rapeseed. It is the cheapest source of erucic acid, which performs better than any known material as a mold lubricant in continuous steel casting. It is also in demand for making 'Nylon 1313', a tough form of nylon used for moulded plastic, for articles as bearings and heavy fibres in brushes, as an additive in plastic films to prevent sheets from sticking together, in plasticizers to keep them soft and flexible. Crambe meal, made from the seed residues after the oil has been removed, is used as plywood and rubber adhesive, as a source of protein isolates, and as an additive to waxes. The meal is also used as an insecticide. The plant has an excellent potential for use in phytoremediation schemes to remove toxins from contaminated soils. In a trial, plants grown hydroponically were treated with 10 or 20 mg/ L arsenate for two weeks. Plant growth, development of toxicity symptoms and tissue levels of arsenic were examined. The plant exhibited a reduction in growth relative to controls when treated with 20 mg/L As, but lacked severe toxicity symptoms. Arsenic accumulation in the leaves were 82+28 mg/dry g after a two-week treatment with 10 ppm arsenate.

Biomass: Provides a large quantity of plant material that can be converted into fuel etc.

Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.

How it is grown

The plant can be cultivated as a spring-sown crop in the temperate zone and also succeeds right through to the tropics, where it can be grown at elevations from sea level up to 2,500 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 25°c, but can tolerate 10 - 35°c. Seedlings can survive temperatures down to -4 or even -6°c for short periods, but at all later stages of growth -1°c may kill the plant. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 800 - 1,500mm, but tolerates 700 - 2,500mm. Requires a sunny position. The plant does best on medium-light to heavy soils that are fertile and well drained, though poor sandy soils may be used if nutrients are provided. Moderately tolerant of saline soils. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7.5, tolerating 5 - 8. Drought stress during flowering or seed set can reduce yields and lower the oil content of the seeds. However the penetrating tap root can reach depths of over 15cm, enabling the plant to be relatively drought resistant later in the season. Plants take from 83 - 105 days from sowing to harvesting the seed. The first-formed pods usually remain on the stalks until the last-formed pods mature, making harvesting the seeds easier. One plant may produce 530 - 1,840 fruits. Seed yields vary widely, with 1,125 - 1,624 kg/ha being obtained in Russia and 450 - 2,522 kg/ha in the United States. In irrigated fields, with additional nitrogen, yields up to 5 tonnes/ha have been attained. Test plantings in Russia, under a wide variety of ecological conditions, gave oil contents of 25 - 33% for the seed with hulls (dehulled seeds reached 54%). The plant fares poorly where weeds are a problem. Newer cultivars have more tolerance to lower temperatures, with some varieties in Britain having tolerated a few hours with temperatures slightly below freezing without harmful effects upon overall yields.

Propagating it: Seed - the plant has orthodox seeds with usually about 4 months dormancy. Once the dormancy is broken, the seeds take 1 - 2 weeks to germinate at temperatures between 10 - 20°c. Germination is retarded below 8°c and inhibited below 5°c. Early growth is rapid, with plants reaching the 2-leaf stage 6- 12 days after germination and the 6-leaf stage after 15 - 27 days.

Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Annual

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Abyssinian Kale, Crambe

Synonyms

Crambe abyssinica Hochst. ex R.E.Fr.