Cabbage or
headed cabbage (comprising several groups of
cultivars of
Brassica oleracea) is a leafy green or purple
biennial plant, grown as an
annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. Closely related to other
cole crops, such as
broccoli,
cauliflower, and
brussels sprouts, it descends from
B. oleracea var. oleracea, a wild field cabbage. Cabbage heads generally range from , and can be green, purple and white. Smooth-leafed firm-headed green cabbages are the most common, with smooth-leafed red and crinkle-leafed
savoy cabbages of both colors seen more rarely. It is a multi-layered vegetable. Under conditions of long sunlit days such as are found at high northern latitudes in summer, cabbages can grow much larger. Some records are discussed at the end of the history section.