Brassica chinensis Linnaeus, Amoen. Acad. 4: 280. 1759; B. antiquorum H. Léveillé; B. campestris Linnaeus subsp. chinensis (Linnaeus) Makino; B. campestris subsp. chinensis var. amplexicaulis (Tanaka & Ono) Makino; B. campestris subsp. narinosa (L. H. Bailey) G. Olsson; B. campestris var. chinensis (Linnaeus) T. Itô; B. campestris var. narinosa (L. H. Bailey) Kitamura; B. campestris var. parachinensis (L. H. Bailey) Makino; B. chinensis var. communis M. Tsen & S. H. Lee; B. chinensis var. parachinensis (L. H. Bailey) Sinskaya; B. chinensis var. rosularis M. Tsen & S. H. Lee; B. napus Linnaeus var. chinensis (Linnaeus) O. E. Schulz; B. narinosa L. H. Bailey; B. oleracea var. tsiekentsiensis H. Léveillé; B. parachinensis L. H. Bailey; B. oleracea Linnaeus var. chinensis (Linnaeus) Prain; B. rapa subsp. chinensis (Linnaeus) Hanelt; B. rapa subsp. chinensis var. parachinensis (L. H. Bailey) Hanelt; B. rapa subsp. narinosa (L. H. Bailey) Hanelt; B. rapa subsp. chinensis var. rosularis (M. Tsen & S. H. Lee) Hanelt; B. rapa var. amplexicaulis Tanaka & Ono; Raphanus chinensis (Linnaeus) Crantz (1769), not Miller (1768).

Plants annual or rarely biennial. Taproot not fleshy, cylindric. Basal leaves usually more than 20, strongly rosulate, not forming compact heads; petiole fleshy or thickened, semiterete or transversely oblong in cross section, wingless; leaf blade entire or repand. Fl. Apr-May, fr. May-Jun. 2n = 20*.

Some forms are grown in S China for seed oil. They are known as Brassica chinensis var. oleifera Makino & Nemoto, but such distinction is dubious.

Cultivated primarily as an oilseed plant and less so as a vegetable. Throughout China [widely cultivated elsewhere].