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African mustard, Asian mustard, mustard, sahara mustard

Mediterranean cabbage

Habit Annuals; densely hirsute proximally, glabrescent distally. Annuals, biennials, or perennials; glabrous or nearly so.
Stems

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

branched distally, 3–9 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.

(early deciduous);

petiole 1.5–6 cm;

blade lyrate-pinnatifid, 3–10(–15) cm × 10–65 mm, lobes 1–3 (or 4) each side.

Cauline leaves

sessile;

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

shortly petiolate;

blade (often lanceolate, reduced in size distally), base tapered or cuneate, not auriculate, (apex acute).

Racemes

not paniculately branched.

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.

sepals 3–8 × 1–1.7 mm;

petals pale yellow, narrowly obovate, 7–15 × 3–4 mm, claw 2–3 mm, apex rounded;

filaments 3–6 mm;

anthers 1.5–2 mm;

gynophore 1–1.5 mm in fruit.

Fruiting pedicels

widely spreading, 8–15 mm.

spreading to divaricately ascending, (slender), (5–)10–15(–25) 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.

(stipitate), spreading to divaricately ascending, strongly torulose, linear, subcylindric, 1.5–3 cm × 1.5–2 mm;

valvular segment with 5–13 seeds per locule, 1.2–2.5 cm, terminal segment seedless or 1-seeded, (conic), 3–6 mm.

Seeds

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

seed coat prominently reticulate, mucilaginous when wetted.

brown or yellow, 0.6–1.2 mm diam.;

seed coat finely reticulate-alveolate, not mucilaginous when wetted.

2n

= 20.

= 16.

Brassica tournefortii

Brassica fruticulosa

Phenology Flowering Feb–Apr. Flowering Dec–Mar.
Habitat Roadsides, waste places, old fields, washes, open desert areas intermixed with desert shrubs Coastal plains and basins, deserts, valleys
Elevation 0-800 m (0-2600 ft) 0-300 m (0-1000 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]
from FNA
CA; s Europe; nw Africa [Introduced in North America]
[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.)

Brassica fruticulosa is naturalized in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Mateo counties.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 424. FNA vol. 7, p. 421.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Brassiceae > Brassica Brassicaceae > tribe Brassiceae > Brassica
Sibling taxa
B. elongata, B. fruticulosa, B. juncea, B. napus, B. nigra, B. oleracea, B. rapa
B. elongata, B. juncea, B. napus, B. nigra, B. oleracea, B. rapa, B. tournefortii
Name authority Gouan: Ill. Observ. Bot., 44, plate 20A. (1773) Cirillo: Pl. Rar. Neapol. 2: 7. (1792)
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