Turnip and radish both belong to the Cruciferous family, and some varieties of radish are very similar in shape to turnips, both of which are spherical, so some people confuse them. But there are differences between the two plants. Turnips belong to the Brassica genus, while radish belongs to the genus Radish. The flesh of small turnips is hard and contains less water. When mature, the flesh of turnips becomes softer, so they can be eaten as a staple food. Radishes are crisp, tender and juicy when ripe. However, the medicinal and edible values ??of the two are very close. It’s not necessarily that turnip in traditional Chinese medicine refers to the roots, tubers and rhizomes of the cruciferous plant turnip (from "The Book of Songs", "Compendium of Materia Medica", etc.) are the roots and leaves of the cruciferous plant turnip.

Latin plant, animal and mineral name: Brassica rapa L.

Turnip is a biennial herb, up to 100cm tall. The roots are fleshy and spherical. Oblate or oblong, white, yellow or red on the outside, white on the inside, no spicy taste. The stem is upright, branched, slightly hairy on the lower part and hairless on the upper part. The large head of the basal leaves is pinnately split into compound leaves, 20-34cm long, with large apical lobes and leaflets, wavy or shallow edges, and about 5 pairs of lateral lobes or leaflets, gradually becoming smaller downwards, with a few scattered thorns on them. There are white sharp thorns below; the petiole is 10-16cm long and has small lobes; the middle and upper stem leaves are oblong-lanceolate, 3-12cm long, hairless, with pink frost, and the base is wide and heart-shaped, at least half-embracing the stem. Racemes terminal; 4 sepals, slightly spread, oblong, the outer 2 are slightly larger, and the base is slightly sac-shaped; 4 petals, yellow, oblanceolate, 4-8mm long, with short wide claws; 4 stamens Long and 2 short; pistil 1, cinnamon head-shaped. Siliques are thin and cylindrical, 3.5-8cm long, with beaks. The seeds are spherical, brown or light brown, with fine mesh patterns on the surface. The flowering period is from March to April, and the fruiting period is from May to June.

White radish is also from the Brassicaceae family, and its fleshy roots should be similar, but they have different origins