Brassica tournefortii |
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African mustard, Asian mustard, mustard, sahara mustard |
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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 |
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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 |
AZ; CA; NV; TX; UT; Europe; Asia; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in nw Mexico, Australia]
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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 | |
Name authority | Gouan: Ill. Observ. Bot., 44, plate 20A. (1773) |
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