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(species
Eruca vesicaria sativa), Mediterranean annual herb, of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), naturalized in parts of North America. Arugula grows to about 70 cm (2.5 feet) tall. Four-petaled, white, purple-veined flowers top its flower stalks. Thick, flat-beaked pods hug the stalk below, interspersed with stalkless, sharp-lobed leaves. The larger basal leaves have stalks and, when young, are used in salads as a seasoning on account of their pungent, peppery flavour. A medicinal oil is extracted from the seeds.