Eruca sativa

Eruca sativa — salad rocket

Eruca sativa is the botanical name for salad rocket (also called arugula or roquette), a fast-growing leaf in the cabbage family (Brassicaceae) prized for its warm, peppery bite. It is the species behind much of our arugula range, and a milder, faster cousin of the more pungent wild rocket.

History & origin

Salad rocket is native to the Mediterranean and Western Asia, where it has been gathered and grown since Roman times — the Romans ate both the leaves and the seeds and considered it something of a delicacy. It remained a familiar pot-herb across southern Europe and was carried far and wide, becoming a salad-bowl favourite once again in recent decades. The genus name Eruca is the old Latin name for the plant, while sativa simply means cultivated.

Botanical characteristics

Eruca sativa is an annual that forms a low rosette of smooth, lobed leaves with a rounded, oak-leaf shape and a fresh, mustardy heat. It grows very quickly from seed and, in warm weather or long days, soon sends up branching stems topped with creamy, dark-veined flowers — at which point the leaves turn hotter. Compared with perennial wild rocket its leaves are broader, milder and quicker to crop. It belongs naturally among our fresh leafy greens and is one of our most reliable fast-growing vegetables.

Growing Eruca sativa from seed

Rocket is about as easy as salad leaves get. Sow direct little and often from spring to autumn, and harvest as a cut-and-come-again leaf within weeks. It runs to seed fastest in summer heat, so for the mildest leaves sow in the cooler parts of the year and keep plants well watered. Our vegetable growing guide covers the essentials, and the vegetable sowing calendar shows the sowing windows.

Ready for fresh, peppery leaves in weeks? Browse the varieties below.

Related categories: Arugula · Wild Rocket · Fresh Leafy Greens · Fast-Growing Vegetables · All Vegetables

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