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African mustard, Asian mustard, mustard, sahara mustard

Habit Annuals; densely hirsute proximally, glabrescent distally.
Stems

usually branched basally, (widely) branched distally, (1–)3–7(–10) dm.

Basal leaves

(rosettes persistent);

petiole (broad) 2–10 cm;

blade lyrate to pinnatisect, 2–30 cm × 10–50(–100) mm, (margins serrate-dentate), 4–10 lobes each side.

Cauline leaves

sessile;

blade (reduced in size distally, distalmost bractlike), base tapered, not auriculate or amplexicaul.

Racemes

not paniculately branched.

Flowers

sepals 5–4.5 × 1–1.5 mm;

petals pale yellow, fading or, sometimes, white, oblanceolate, 4–7 × 1.5–2(–2.5) mm, claw 1–3 mm, apex rounded;

filaments 2.5–4 mm;

anthers 1–1.3 mm;

gynophore to 1 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

widely spreading, 8–15 mm.

Fruits

(shortly stipitate); widely spreading to ascending (not appressed to rachis), torulose, cylindric, 3–7 cm × 2–4(–5) mm;

valvular segment with 6–12(–15) seeds per locule, 2.2–5 cm, terminal segment 1(–3)-seeded, (cylindric, stout), 10–20 mm.

Seeds

light reddish brown or black, 1–1.2 mm diam.;

seed coat prominently reticulate, mucilaginous when wetted.

2n

= 20.

Brassica tournefortii

Phenology Flowering Feb–Apr.
Habitat Roadsides, waste places, old fields, washes, open desert areas intermixed with desert shrubs
Elevation 0-800 m (0-2600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; TX; UT; Europe; Asia; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in nw Mexico, Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Brassica tournefortii was first reported from California (Imperial, Riverside, and western San Bernardino counties) by W. L. Jepson ([1923–1925]), with the first collections appearing from southern California in 1941 (R. C. Rollins and I. A. Al-Shehbaz 1986), Arizona in 1959 (T. H. Kearney and R. H. Peebles 1960), Nevada in 1977, and Texas in 1978 (D. E. Lemke and R. D. Worthington 1991).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 424.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Brassiceae > Brassica
Sibling taxa
B. elongata, B. fruticulosa, B. juncea, B. napus, B. nigra, B. oleracea, B. rapa
Name authority Gouan: Ill. Observ. Bot., 44, plate 20A. (1773)
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