Brassicales

One character common to many members of the order is the production of isothiocyanate (mustard oil) compounds. Most systems of classification have included this order, although sometimes under the name Capparales (the name chosen depending on which is thought to have priority).

The order typically contains the following families:

• Akaniaceae – two species of turnipwood trees, native to Asia and eastern Australia
• Bataceae – salt-tolerant shrubs from America and Australasia
• Brassicaceae – mustard and cabbage family; may include the Cleomaceae
• Capparaceae – caper family, sometimes included in Brassicaceae
• Caricaceae – papaya family
• Cleomaceae
• Emblingiaceae
• Gyrostemonaceae – several genera of small shrubs and trees endemic to temperate parts of Australia
• Koeberliniaceae – one species of thorn bush native to Mexico and the US Southwest
• Limnanthaceae – meadowfoam family
• Moringaceae – thirteen species of trees from Africa and India including the drumstick
• Pentadiplandraceae – African species whose berries have two highly sweet tasting proteins
• Resedaceae – mignonette family
• Salvadoraceae – three genera found from Africa to Java
• Setchellanthaceae
• Tiganophytaceae
• Tovariaceae
• Tropaeolaceae – nasturtium family

Classification

The following diagram shows the phylogeny of the Brassicales families along with their estimated ages, based on a 2018 study of plastid DNA:

On 20 April 2020, a newly described monotypic species from Namibia, namely, Tiganophyton karasense Swanepoel, F.Forest & A.E. van Wyk is placed under this order as a monotypic member of new family Tiganophytaceae, which is closely related to Bataceae, Salvadoraceae and Koeberliniaceae.