Editing 2827: Brassica

{{comic
| number    = 2827
| date      = September 11, 2023
| title     = Brassica
| image     = brassica_2x.png
| imagesize = 327x319px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = Sequoia Brussels sprouts are delicious but it's pretty hard to finish one.
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a field of Sequoia cabbage - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

<i>{{w|Brassica oleracea}}</i> is a plant species, to which many vegetables that we eat belong. These vegetables look strikingly different from each other; compare, for example, {{w|cabbage}}, {{w|broccoli}}, {{w|kale}} and {{w|brussels sprouts}}. There are 24 listed on Wikipedia that all look different. These different cultivars all originated from wild cabbage, having evolved into several different forms via (primarily) human selection.

In the comic Cueball (acting presumably as a botanist) declares that the "Mighty Redwood" (presumably the Coast Redwood,  <i>{{w|Sequoia sempervirens}}</i>) also belongs to this species. Since the Coast Redwood is a {{w|conifer}}, while <i>B. oleracea</i> is a {{w|flowering plant}}, the two species are about as different as two land plants can be, both in classification and appearance. If the presumed botanist can get away with this, they can probably get away with just about anything. The caption claims that botanists, including the one appearing in the cartoon (Cueball), attempt this from time to time.

The title text refers to Sequoia Brussels sprouts. The reference is probably to the Giant Sequoia, (<i>{{w|Sequoiadendron giganteum}}</i>), a close relative of the Coast Redwood. "Resinous" is probably a more apt adjective than "delicious", and they're probably woody.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
:: [Cueball, Megan and another Cueball are standing in front of a large tree.  It is about six meters in diameter and about the bottom eight to ten meters are visible.]
:: Cueball: Did you know the Mighty Redwood is actually the same species as broccoli and kale? It's just a different cultivar.
:: Another Cueball: Wow!

:: [Caption below the panel]
:: Every year or two, botanists add another plant to Brassica oleracea and see if anyone calls them on it.

{{comic discussion}}
@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 ==Explanation==
+{{incomplete|Created by a field of Sequoia cabbage - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
-''{{w|Brassica oleracea}}'' is a plant species, that contains 23 different cultivars (plants which evolved primarily due to human selection) of wild cabbage, a relatively nondescript herb, to which many vegetables that we eat belong. These vegetables look quite different from each other, though all share the same basic appearance; compare, for example, {{w|cabbage}}, {{w|broccoli}}, {{w|kale}} and {{w|brussels sprouts}}.
+<i>{{w|Brassica oleracea}}</i> is a plant species, to which many vegetables that we eat belong. These vegetables look strikingly different from each other; compare, for example, {{w|cabbage}}, {{w|broccoli}}, {{w|kale}} and {{w|brussels sprouts}}. There are 24 listed on Wikipedia that all look different. These different cultivars all originated from wild cabbage, having evolved into several different forms via (primarily) human selection.
-In the comic, Cueball, who is serving as a natural-history tour guide or park ranger, or maybe is just leading a group of friends, declares that the "mighty redwood" (presumably the coast redwood,  ''{{w|Sequoia sempervirens}}'') also belongs to this species. Since the coast redwood is a {{w|conifer}}, while ''B. oleracea'' is a {{w|flowering plant}}, the two species are about as different as two land plants can be, both in classification and appearance.
+In the comic Cueball (acting presumably as a botanist) declares that the "Mighty Redwood" (presumably the Coast Redwood,  <i>{{w|Sequoia sempervirens}}</i>) also belongs to this species. Since the Coast Redwood is a {{w|conifer}}, while <i>B. oleracea</i> is a {{w|flowering plant}}, the two species are about as different as two land plants can be, both in classification and appearance. If the presumed botanist can get away with this, they can probably get away with just about anything. The caption claims that botanists, including the one appearing in the cartoon (Cueball), attempt this from time to time.
-However, when viewed from high above, the canopy of forests can bear a striking resemblance to the top of a head of many of these cultivars. In this case, the pointier tops of conifers would more likely resemble a {{w|Romanesco_broccoli|romanesco}}, while broad-leaved forests would be closer to the more commonly encountered calabrese. Such far-fetched resemblances could be used by a botanist as a joke to see if anyone is paying enough attention to call them out, which according to the caption, seems like something botanists do every year or two.
+The title text refers to Sequoia Brussels sprouts. The reference is probably to the Giant Sequoia, (<i>{{w|Sequoiadendron giganteum}}</i>), a close relative of the Coast Redwood. "Resinous" is probably a more apt adjective than "delicious", and they're probably woody.
-The title text refers to Sequoia Brussels sprouts. The reference is probably to the Giant Sequoia (''{{w|Sequoiadendron giganteum}}''), a close relative of the coast redwood. "Resinous" is probably a more apt adjective than "delicious", and they're probably woody. Additionally, as stated, they would indeed be quite hard to finish - Sequoia trees can range from {{w|Sequoiadendron giganteum|50-85 meters}} in height, and so consuming them will take weeks or maybe months, a monotonous task despite their "deliciousness". It is probably no more advisable{{citation needed}} to stand under a sequoia bearing sprouts than it is to stand under a [https://www.kuriositas.com/2010/10/dont-stand-under-cannonball-tree.html cannonball tree].
 ==Transcript==
-:: [Cueball, Megan and another Cueball are standing in front of a large tree.  Only the lowest section of the tree trunk is visible.]
+{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
-:: Cueball: Did you know the mighty redwood is actually the same species as broccoli and kale? It's just a different cultivar.
+:: [Cueball, Megan and another Cueball are standing in front of a large tree.  It is about six meters in diameter and about the bottom eight to ten meters are visible.]
-:: Other Cueball: Wow!
+:: Cueball: Did you know the Mighty Redwood is actually the same species as broccoli and kale? It's just a different cultivar.
+:: Another Cueball: Wow!
 :: [Caption below the panel]
-:: Every year or two, botanists add another plant to ''Brassica oleracea'' and see if anyone calls them on it.
+:: Every year or two, botanists add another plant to Brassica oleracea and see if anyone calls them on it.
 {{comic discussion}}
-[[Category:Food]]
-[[Category:Biology]]
-[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
-[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
-[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]