Gai lan (also written as kai-lan; Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra) is the Chinese name for a vegetable that is also known as Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale. It is a leaf vegetable featuring thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves with thick stems with flower heads, similar to but much smaller than broccoli. Broccoli and gai lan belong to the same species Brassica oleracea, but gai lan is in the group alboglabra (from Latin albus "white" and glabrus "hairless"). Its flavor is very similar to that of broccoli, but slightly more bitter. It is also noticeably stronger.