Living Demonstration Of The Fractal Nature Of Biological Growth Patterns

Here we see the fractal pattern of Romanesco broccoli, a variant form of cauliflower. The fractal arrangement of the florets in this vegetable's head is amazing!!

As you move your cursor over the photo, you will see the three frames aka notes that I have added to show three sections of the broccoli that are similar to the next larger size (where it exists, of course.)

 

Romanesco broccoli exhibits "self similarity" characteristic of fractals in mathematics. It also exhibits "scale Invariance" ... Any smaller section of this head of broccoli has the same shapes and patterns as a larger section To me, that is so amazing!!

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-similar

 

In mathematics, a self-similar object is exactly or approximately similar to a part of itself (i.e. the whole has the same shape as one or more of the parts). Many objects in the real world, such as coastlines, are statistically self-similar: parts of them show the same statistical properties at many scales.[2] Self-similarity is a typical property of fractals.

 

Scale invariance is an exact form of self-similarity where at any magnification there is a smaller piece of the object that is similar to the whole. For instance, a side of the Koch snowflake is both symmetrical and scale-invariant; it can be continually magnified 3x without changing shape.

 

The non-trivial similarity evident in fractals is distinguished by their fine structure, or detail on arbitrarily small scales. As a counterexample, whereas any portion of a straight line may resemble the whole, further detail is not revealed.

 

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Cauliflower

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cauliflower

 

For other uses, see Cauliflower (disambiguation).

Cauliflower

Cauliflower.JPG

Cauliflower, cultivar unknown

Details

SpeciesBrassica oleracea

Cultivar groupBotrytis cultivar group

OriginNortheast Mediterranean

Cultivar group

membersMany; see text.

 

 

Cauliflower, raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy104 kJ (25 kcal)

Carbohydrates5 g

- Sugars1.9 g

- Dietary fiber2 g

Fat0.3 g

Protein1.9 g

Water92 g

Thiamine (vit. B1)0.05 mg (4%)

Riboflavin (vit. B2)0.06 mg (5%)

Niacin (vit. B3)0.507 mg (3%)

Pantothenic acid (B5)0.667 mg (13%)

Vitamin B60.184 mg (14%)

Folate (vit. B9)57 μg (14%)

Vitamin C48.2 mg (58%)

Vitamin E0.08 mg (1%)

Vitamin K15.5 μg (15%)

Calcium22 mg (2%)

Iron0.42 mg (3%)

Magnesium15 mg (4%)

Manganese0.155 mg (7%)

Phosphorus44 mg (6%)

Potassium299 mg (6%)

Sodium30 mg (2%)

Zinc0.27 mg (3%)

Link to USDA Database entry

Percentages are roughly approximated

using US recommendations for adults.

Source: USDA Nutrient Database

 

Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed. Typically, only the head (the white curd) is eaten. The cauliflower head is composed of a white inflorescence meristem. Cauliflower heads resemble those in broccoli, which differs in having flower buds.

Its name is from Latin caulis (cabbage) and flower,.[1] Brassica oleracea also includes cabbage, brussels sprouts, kale, broccoli, and collard greens, though they are of different cultivar groups.

 

For such a highly modified plant, cauliflower has a long history. François Pierre La Varenne employed chouxfleurs in Le cuisinier françois.[2] They were introduced to France from Genoa in the 16th century, and are featured in Olivier de Serres' Théâtre de l'agriculture (1600), as cauli-fiori "as the Italians call it, which are still rather rare in France; they hold an honorable place in the garden because of their delicacy",[3] but they did not commonly appear on grand tables until the time of Louis XIV.[4]

 

Contents

1 Classification and identification

1.1 Major groups

1.2 Varieties

1.3 Colors

2 Nutrition

3 Cooking

4 Fractal dimension

5 History

6 References

7 Further reading

8 External links

Classification and identification[edit]

 

Major groups

There are four major groups of cauliflower.[5]

 

Italian

Diverse in appearance, and biennial and annual in type, this group includes white, Romanesco, various green, purple, brown and yellow cultivars. This type is the ancestral form from which the others were derived.

 

Northwest European biennial

Used in Europe for winter and early spring harvest, this was developed in France in the 19th century, and includes the old cultivars Roscoff and Angers.

Northern European annuals

Used in Europe and North America for summer and fall harvest, it was developed in Germany in the 18th century, and includes the old cultivars Erfurt and Snowball.

 

Asian

A tropical cauliflower used in China and India, it was developed in India during the 19th century from the now-abandoned Cornish type,[6] and includes old varieties Early Patna and Early Benaras.

 

Varieties

There are hundreds of historic and current commercial varieties used around the world. A comprehensive list of about 80 North American varieties is maintained at North Carolina State University.[7]

 

Colors

 

White

White cauliflower is the most common color of cauliflower.

 

Orange

Orange cauliflower (B. oleracea L. var. botrytis) contains 25% more vitamin A than white varieties.[8] This trait came from a natural mutant found in a cauliflower field in Canada.[9] Cultivars include 'Cheddar' and 'Orange Bouquet'.

 

Green

Green cauliflower, of the B. oleracea botrytis group, is sometimes called broccoflower. It is available both with the normal curd shape and a variant spiky curd called Romanesco broccoli. Both types have been commercially available in the U.S. and Europe since the early 1990s. Green-curded varieties include 'Alverda', 'Green Goddess' and 'Vorda'. Romanesco varieties include 'Minaret' and 'Veronica'.

 

Purple

The purple color in this cauliflower is caused by the presence of the antioxidant group anthocyanins, which can also be found in red cabbage and red wine.[10] Varieties include 'Graffiti' and 'Purple Cape'. In Great Britain and southern Italy, a broccoli with tiny flower buds is sold as a vegetable under the name "purple cauliflower". It is not the same as standard cauliflower with a purple curd.

 

White cauliflower

 

Orange cauliflower

 

Purple cauliflower

 

Nutrition

 

Cauliflower is low in fat, low in carbohydrates but high in dietary fiber, folate, water, and vitamin C, possessing a high nutritional density.[11]

 

Cauliflower contains several phytochemicals, common in the cabbage family, that may be beneficial to human health.

 

Sulforaphane, a compound released when cauliflower is chopped or chewed, may protect against cancer.

 

Other glucosinolates

Carotenoids[11]

 

Indole-3-carbinol, a chemical that enhances DNA repair,[12][13] and acts as an estrogen antagonist,[14] slowing the growth of cancer cells.

 

Boiling reduces the levels of these compounds, with losses of 20–30% after five minutes, 40–50% after ten minutes, and 75% after thirty minutes.[15] However, other preparation methods, such as steaming, microwaving, and stir frying, have no significant effect on the compounds.[15]

 

A high intake of cauliflower has been associated with reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer.[16]

 

Cooking

 

 

Aloo gobi, an Indian dish prepared with cauliflower and potato

Cauliflower can be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed, or eaten raw. Steaming or microwaving better preserves anticancer compounds than boiling.[15] When cooking, the outer leaves and thick stalks are removed, leaving only the florets. The leaves are also edible, but are most often discarded.[17] The florets should be broken into similar-sized pieces so they are cooked evenly. After eight minutes of steaming, or five minutes of boiling, the florets should be soft, but not mushy (depending on size). Stirring while cooking can break the florets into smaller, uneven pieces.

 

Low carbohydrate dieters can use cauliflower as a reasonable substitute for potatoes or rice; while they can produce a similar texture, or mouth feel, they lack the starch of the originals.

 

 

Fractal Dimension

 

Fractal pattern of Romanesco broccoli, a variant form of cauliflower

Cauliflower has been noticed by mathematicians for its distinct fractal dimension,[18][19] predicted to be about 2.8.[20]

 

History

 

The first reliable reference to cauliflower is found in the writings of the Arab Muslim scientists Ibn al-'Awwam and Ibn al-Baitar, in the 12th and 13th centuries.[21]

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