125 Heirloom KAILAAN Chinese Broccoli Kale KAI LANS Asian Green Gai Lan Seeds Gai lan (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra is the Cantonese name and jie lan is the Mandarin name for a vegetable that is also known as Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale. It is a leaf vegetable with thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves with thick stems, and flower heads similar to but much smaller than broccoli, another Brassica oleracea cultivar, 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.