Turnip can refer to two vegetables, which are described under the articles Turnip (brassica rapa) and Rutabaga. The confusion results from the following regional differences of usage.
| Scientific term
| brassica rapa
| brassica napus or napobrassica
|
| British & Commonwealth English
| turnip
| swede (= Swedish turnip)
|
| American English
| turnip
| rutabaga
|
| Scottish English
| swede
| turnip (neep)
|
| Also called
| white turnip (= summer turnip)
| yellow turnip (= winter turnip)
|
Brassica napus var. napobrassica are called swedes (a shortening of Swedish turnip) in England and in most dialects of Commonwealth English. Rutabaga is mostly an American-English word. The rutabaga or swede differs from the turnip (brassica rapa) in that it is typically larger and yellow-orange rather than white.
However, in some dialects of British English the two vegetables have overlapping or reversed names. In the north of England and Scotland, the larger, yellow rutabagas are called turnips (sometimes shortened to neeps in Scotland), while the smaller white turnips are called swedes.