Eruca sativa

**Eruca sativa**—commonly called arugula, rocket, or eruca—is an annual edible plant that belongs to the Brassicaceae family. It also goes by salad rocket, garden rocket, colewort, roquette, ruchetta, rucola, rucoli, and rugula. Its origins lie in the Mediterranean and Asia, and its pungent, peppery taste, along with its easy availability, has made it a popular leafy green, often tossed into salads.

**Description** This annual can reach heights between 20 and 100 cm (8 to 40 inches). Its leaves are pinnate and deeply lobed, typically featuring four to ten small lateral lobes and one large terminal lobe. Flowers measure 2 to 4 cm (¾ to 1½ inches) across and grow in a corymb arrangement, following the standard Brassicaceae structure. The petals are creamy white with purple veins, while the stamens are yellow. The fruit is a siliqua (pod) 12 to 25 mm (½ to 1 inch) long, tipped with a beak, and contains several seeds. The chromosome count is 2n = 22.

**Taxonomy** Some botanists classify *E. sativa* as a subspecies of *Eruca vesicaria*, but the two differ in several morphological traits, such as sepal persistence, silique shape, and growth habit. Crucially, they do not interbreed freely due to partial reproductive isolation. The Plants of the World Online database recognizes *Eruca sativa* as a distinct species.

**Etymology** The species name *sativa* comes from the Latin supine *satum*, meaning “sown” or “planted,” reflecting its cultivated nature. The English common name “rocket” traces back through French *roquette* and Italian *ruchetta* (a diminutive of *ruca*) to the Latin *eruca*, meaning “caterpillar.” The name “arugula,” now standard in the United States and Canada, entered American English from a nonstandard Italian dialect; the standard Italian term is *rucola*. The *Oxford English Dictionary* records the first known American use of “arugula” in a 1960 *New York Times* article by food editor Craig Claiborne.

**Similarly Named Plants** Rocket is sometimes confused with *Diplotaxis tenuifolia*, known as perennial wall rocket, another Brassicaceae used similarly. Species of *Barbarea* may be called yellow rocket.

**Distribution and Habitat** Native to parts of southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, *Eruca sativa* typically grows on dry, disturbed ground. It provides food for the larvae of some moths, including the garden carpet, and its roots are vulnerable to nematode infestation. As an invasive species, it is widespread and scattered but becomes prolific and noxious in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and California.

**Cultivation** Traditionally, the plant was gathered in the wild or grown in home gardens alongside herbs like parsley and basil. Today, arugula is cultivated commercially and has naturalized as a wild plant beyond its native range in temperate regions worldwide, including northern Europe and North America. It prefers full sun, cool temperatures, and moist, fertile soil; hot weather alters its flavor and halts leaf growth. Seedlings are spaced about 6 inches (15 cm) apart, and the plant can self-seed. Maturity and harvest occur within 40 to 50 days, with young leaves preferred for taste. Mild frost slows growth and turns the green leaves red.

**Uses** Raw arugula consists of 92% water, 4% carbohydrates, 2.5% protein, and negligible fat. In a 100-gram (3.5-ounce) serving, it provides 25 calories and is a rich source (20% or more of the Daily Value) of folate and vitamin K, as well as a good source (10–19% of DV) of vitamin A, vitamin C, and the minerals calcium, magnesium, manganese, and potassium. All parts—leaves, flowers, young seed pods, and mature seeds—are edible. Since Roman times in Italy, raw arugula has been added to salads. It often garnishes pizza after baking. In Apulia, southern Italy, it is cooked into the pasta dish *cavatiéddi*, where large amounts of coarsely chopped arugula are mixed with pasta, reduced tomato sauce, and pecorino. It also appears chopped in sauces and cooked dishes, or fried in olive oil with garlic as a sauce. It serves as a condiment for cold meats and fish. Across Italy, it is used in salads with tomatoes and cheeses like burrata, bocconcini, buffalo, or mozzarella. In Rome, *rucola* features in *straccetti*—thin slices of beef with raw arugula and Parmesan. In southern Campania (including the Amalfi Coast, Cilento Coast, and Ischia), arugula is used in the *rucola* style of amaro, such as See the Elephant Amaro. In Turkey, the plant is eaten raw as a side dish or salad with fish, or served with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. In Slovenia, it is often combined with boiled potatoes or used in soup. In West Asia, Pakistan, and northern India, *Eruca* seeds are pressed to produce taramira oil, used in pickling and, after aging to remove acridity, as a salad or cooking oil. The seed cake is fed to animals.