Morphological Characteristics of Pakcoy Plants

Pakcoy or bok choy is a vegetable that is widely consumed by the community. This vegetable does not come from Indonesia, but its popularity in the country is quite high. Pakcoy is also known by the name mustard spoon or mustard meat. The shape of the leaves does resemble a spoon with a bulging base. Similar to other types of green vegetables, bok choy is widely cultivated by farmers because it is easy and the consumers are quite high.

Pakcoy Classification

This mustard plant has morphological characteristics similar to cabbage and cabbage. The body of this plant is erect with a compact. The petiole is white with a fresh green leaf color. The stalk is wide and sturdy. When consumed, this vegetable has a crunchy texture from the stalk, and a fresh and slightly bitter taste. The classification of this plant as follows:

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Division: Spermatophyta
• Class: Dicotyledonae
• Order: Rhoeadales
• Family: Brassicaceae
• Genus: Brassica
• Species: Brassica rapa

Morphological Characteristics of the Pakcoy Sawi spoon plant has several characteristics that can be easily recognized. In the book Bertanam Petsai and Sawi by Rukmana (1994), the characteristics of this mustard are as follows:

1. Root

The roots of bok choy are included in the taproot category with the shape of the root branches spreading in all directions. These roots can go into the soil to a depth of 30 to 40 cm. Similar to other plants, the root of the pakcoy vegetable also functions to absorb water and nutrients in the soil, and strengthens the plant so that it can stand upright.

2. Trunk

The stem of this mustard plant is short and has segments. The stem is a pseudo-stem type with a light green color. The function of the stem of this plant is to form and support the leaves.

3. Leaves

Leaves are the main part that humans use from this plant. Pakcoy vegetable leaves have an obal shape with a dark green color. The leaves of this plant are attached to the stem with white to light green petioles. The petiole is fat and fleshy, if you eat the stalk, bok choy tastes crunchy and juicy.

4. Flowers

The flowers of this plant grow elongated and branched a lot. Flowers will appear when the plant is very old. The mustard flower has three buds consisting of four leaf petals, four leaf crowns, four stamens, and one white and two hollow. This flower is yellow. If we come to the Pakcoy cultivation area, we may rarely find the flowers of this plant because farmers will harvest these vegetables before the flowers come out.

5. Fruits and Seeds

The fruit of this spoon-shaped green mustard is a pod with an elongated and hollow shape. In one fruit or pod there are 2 to seeds. The shape of the seeds of this plant is small round with brown or blackish brown color with a shiny smooth surface, and so hard.

Contents of Pakcoy

Similar to green vegetables in general, bok choy also contains several nutrients and vitamins. Pakcoy vitamins that are beneficial for the body include vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, folic acid, antioxidants, beta-carotene, and calcium.

• 1 gram protein
• Carbohydrates 1.5 grams
• 0.7 gram fiber
• Potassium 5%
• Vitamin A 62%
• Vitamin C 52%
• Vitamin B6 5%
• Calcium 7%
• Magnesium 3%
• Iron 3%

From the content of pakcoy, it is not surprising that this one vegetable is in the position of six categories of solid fruits and vegetables that contain the version of the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI). Consumption of these green vegetables besides being delicious can also help meet your body's daily nutritional needs.