PlantFiles: Rocket Salad, Arugula, Roquette, Rucola, Rugula
Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa

This species of Eruca is native to the mediterranean.
It has creamy-white flowers with purple veins, a legume-like pod with several seeds, and grows up to 100cm tall.

I enjoyed Arugula up until a week or so after it bolted.
Picking the larger leaves and eating them as usual in a lettuce salad I experienced very painful dull stomach pain for all night (over ten hours) and had difficulty sleeping. Had I mixed Poke Weed in accidentaly ?
The second time I carefully picked it for a salad but I used less just in case. The same enduring stomach ache occurred for a longer time! Never again for me. I might try it next year only in the baby stage - maybe.

I am not allergic to ANYTHING so am perplexed but now ultra leery of mature Arugula.

In my old balcony garden of blazing western sun and neglectful watering, arugula was literally the sole survivor.

In my new balcony garden, the arugula was struggling until I moved it into a sunnier location, and now it's thriving.

It's deliciously nutty, with a definite kick of spiciness. Great on sandwiches, wraps, salads, and pizza (I put it on pizza after turning off the oven and just let it wilt a tiny bit, otherwise the flavor gets killed).

It's easy to grow and delicious. However, it bolts quickly.

In mid or late spring in full sun the plants bolt as soon as the leaves grow to a good size for picking. Because of that, there's a very narrow window for harvesting optimum quality leaves. Every time I grew it in locations with late afternoon shade, the leaves were larger and bolting was slower. In such locations I even got decent results in the summer.

I got the best results after sowing in late summer. That time there was no bolting, even in full sun, and the plants survived light frosts without damage. I was able to harvest leaves until a harder frost killed the plants in November.

I live in Ensenada Baja California and i bought a small plant at a organic food festival in San Diego California, I planted it in my small garden and with just watering it when i remember it took off! Amazing considering I dont have a greed thumb. It grew fast and produced alot of leafs with a stong flavor, later it started giving flowers and all of them produced pods that contained from 6 to 8 seeds aprox. Now i have too many seed to know what to do with them. I've only just started to propigate them. I hope it all goes well!

A good green to grow in Austin, Texas in the winter. My plants have now gone to seed; the tallest are 36 inches high. Bees visit the flowers.

Seedling resemble other members of the brassica family with "butt like" leaves..... two round leaves with indents on each outer side.... untill the true leaves emerge..... Arugula get hot and nasty in hot weather.... grow in cool weather.... great for a variety of dishes.... a nice subsitute for watercress...... Let bolt and go to seed so you can save seed for sowing.... will tolerate part shade ...... :)

A peppery flavored green used to pick green salads. Mature leaves can be added to other cooked greens to add zest.

Grows like "a weed" in Fort Worth, Texas. Lasts through winter and reseeds itself if you let it go. Now if I can just find enough recipes to use it all!

Arugula has become a favorite among my gardening friends here in Alaska. The nutty taste is always a big hit. Quite good when used in the preparation of Oysters Rockefeller. If left to its own devises, arugula will self-seed here.

Fabulous greens to add spice to salads, soups and stews. It is used in many dishes in Southern Italy. Fantastic on sausage and arugala pizza. Great with all kinds of sausage.

Very easy to grow..has tolerated my very dry and rocky soil. All parts of the plant except the roots are edible. Flowers have a much milder flavor

Arugula is very popular in mesclun mixes. Seeds quickly sprout and grow.

This is one of the most popular 'new' greens. Descriptions such as 'hot with a hint of nut' and 'spicy' are used to describe the unique flavor. It adds flavor and texture to salads, and can be added steamed or raw to Italian dishes and pizza.