Belonging to the mustard family of plants; bearing flowers with four petals arranged in a cross shape; also used to describe these plants' health benefits.
From Latin 'crux' (cross) and '-ferous' (bearing). Coined in botanical classification to describe the distinctive cross-shaped flower arrangement characteristic of this plant family.
Cruciferous vegetables are scientifically famous because they contain sulforaphane, a compound that fights cancer—and weirdly, there might be a reason these cross-shaped plants evolved these defensive chemicals: the cross arrangement actually helped them stand out to the specific pollinators they needed.
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