Types of Kale: Curly, Lacinato and Red Russian Compared

The types of kale in a garden or a market fall into two botanical groups. Clemson Cooperative Extension describes kale as Brassica oleracea var. acephala, the often curly-leaved form of the species that includes collards and cabbage, and lists Russian kale, Brassica napus, as a separate species with smooth, toothed leaves. This guide covers the kale varieties that extension sources name, from curly kale to Lacinato and Red Russian, and compares kale with other greens using USDA FoodData Central values; our kale guide covers the vegetable on its own, and our list of leafy greens covers the wider group.

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Types of kale at a glance

Oregon State University Extension says kale can be smooth, bumpy, curly or lacy and pale green to deep purple. Clemson Cooperative Extension adds that, depending on the cultivar, kale leaves range from green and silvery to red or purple and may be highly ruffled, puckered or frilly. The groups below follow the names that extension sources use.

• Curly kale: UMass Amherst calls it the most common variety, with tightly ruffled, bright green leaves, a fibrous stem and a peppery flavor, and Clemson Cooperative Extension notes that curled kales are hard to rinse.
• Lacinato kale: Clemson Cooperative Extension describes Lacinato, also called Tuscan or dinosaur kale, as an heirloom cultivar with puckered, elongated, blue-green leaves with a gray sheen. UMass Amherst describes long, dark green leaves and tough stems with a slightly sweet, nutty flavor.
• Red Russian kale: Clemson Cooperative Extension calls it an heirloom cultivar that is more tender than other kales, with smooth, red-veined, mid-green leaves, and UMass Amherst notes flat, red-tinged leaves on thick red-purple stems.
• Siberian kale: UC Marin Master Gardeners group it with Red Russian as Brassica napus, and Clemson Cooperative Extension calls Siberian the most cold-hardy of the kales it describes.
• Baby kale: UMass Amherst says this is any variety harvested very young, with thin stems and tender leaves.
• Ornamental kale: UC Marin Master Gardeners say ornamental or flowering kale is the same genus and species as garden kale and is still edible, though it is mostly used as a garnish or for landscape color.

Two kale species: Brassica oleracea and Brassica napus

Clemson Cooperative Extension places kale in Brassica oleracea var. acephala, the species that also includes collards and cabbage, and the UF/IFAS Extension vegetable handbook lists collards as Brassica oleracea Acephala group within the Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) family. Red Russian and Siberian kales are a different case: Clemson Cooperative Extension says they are different species that are not true kales but are grown and used like kale, and UC Marin Master Gardeners name that species as Brassica napus. The same UC Marin Master Gardeners page says the Russian-Siberian kales are typically more tender and mild flavored than the oleracea kales and can go into a salad when the leaves are young.

Our list of cruciferous vegetables covers the wider family, from broccoli to cauliflower, and our cabbage guide covers the head-forming relative.

Flavor, frost and leaf texture

• Frost: Clemson Cooperative Extension says kale can withstand frost and that colder temperatures sweeten the leaves, and Oregon State University Extension says cold weather improves the flavor.
• Heat and dry spells: UC Marin Master Gardeners say high summer temperatures cause bitter or other undesirable flavors, and Utah State University Extension says moisture fluctuations make leaves tough and develop off flavors.
• After harvest: Oregon State University Extension says the flavor of kale becomes stronger and more bitter as it is stored, and it suggests refrigerating harvested kale in an open or perforated plastic bag.
• Raw leaves: UMass Amherst suggests massaging raw leaves with oil and salt to soften them and reduce bitterness, and Oregon State University Extension suggests cutting or stripping away the thick stems for raw salads.

Kale varieties in USDA data

USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy has no separate entries for curly, Lacinato or Red Russian kale, so its generic kale entries stand for the group. The table lists raw, boiled and frozen boiled kale per 1 cup, the SR Legacy portion, ranked by vitamin K. Each percent Daily Value (%DV) uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children 4 and older: 28 grams of dietary fiber, 1,300 milligrams of calcium, 4,700 milligrams of potassium, 90 milligrams of vitamin C, 900 micrograms RAE of vitamin A and 120 micrograms of vitamin K.

A cup of raw kale weighs 21 grams in USDA data, while a cup of boiled kale weighs 118 grams, so the cooked cup holds far more leaf: about 493.8 micrograms of vitamin K against 81.8 micrograms for the raw cup in USDA data. Per cup, the raw entry lists about 19.6 milligrams of vitamin C and the boiled entry about 21.0 milligrams, according to USDA SR Legacy. The frozen boiled entry matches the fresh boiled entry in SR Legacy except for fiber, 2.7 grams against 4.7 grams per cup.

Kale beside other raw greens

Weight for weight, kale can be set beside other raw greens in SR Legacy. The table lists five raw greens per 100 grams with SR Legacy’s common portion alongside, ranked by vitamin K, with the same FDA Daily Values.

Per 100 grams, raw kale lists the most calcium of these five rows, about 254 milligrams, and the most vitamin C, about 93.4 milligrams, in USDA data. The raw chard entry lists the most vitamin K, about 830.0 micrograms per 100 grams in USDA data, and raw spinach the most vitamin A, about 469 micrograms RAE. Our guides to collard greens, spinach, chard and mustard greens cover each one, and our list of vitamin K foods ranks more.

What NIH says about vitamin K and blood thinners

Kale is one of the green leafy vegetables that the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health lists as a food source of vitamin K. ODS says vitamin K can have a serious interaction with the blood thinner warfarin, and that people who take warfarin should keep the amount of vitamin K they get from food and supplements about the same from one day to the next, because a sudden change can cause bleeding or blood clots. Anyone who takes warfarin should talk with a doctor or healthcare provider before changing how much kale or other greens they eat.

Where kale sits in the Dietary Guidelines

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025, list kale with bok choy, broccoli, chard, collards and spinach as examples of dark-green vegetables. Clemson Cooperative Extension says kale is used in stir-fries, soups and winter salads and can be made into chips. For the orange end of the produce aisle, our guide to types of sweet potatoes compares orange, white and purple-skinned types.

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Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Types of Sweet Potatoes: Orange, White and Purple-Skinned, Kale Benefits: USDA Kale Nutrition, Raw vs Cooked and Safety Notes, Leafy Greens: USDA List of Dark Greens, Spinach vs Kale and Tips, Types of Cabbage: Head Cabbages and Chinese Cabbages Compared.