Flora of North America species comparison

erect, unbranched or branched basally.

basal and cauline;

petiolate or subsessile;

basal not rosulate, petiolate, blade margins usually pinnate to lyrately pinnatifid, rarely undivided, dentate;

cauline subsessile or shortly petiolate, blade (base not auriculate), margins lobed, subentire, or dentate.

petiolate or sessile;

blade base auriculate or not, margins entire, dentate, serrate, or pinnately lobed.

absent or simple.

(corymbose, several-flowered), greatly elongated in fruit.

usually ebracteate, often elongated in fruit.

sepals ascending, oblong, lateral pair not saccate basally, (hispid [glabrous or with subapical tuft of hairs]);

petals yellow, obovate, claw differentiated from blade, (apex ± truncate);

stamens tetradynamous;

filaments not dilated basally;

anthers ovate to suboblong, (apex obtuse);

nectar glands confluent, median glands present.

actinomorphic;

sepals erect, ascending, or spreading, lateral pair saccate or not basally;

petals white, cream, yellow, pink, lilac, lavender, or purple, claw present, often distinct;

filaments unappendaged, not winged;

pollen 3-colpate.

erect [ascending], (usually appressed to rachis), slender to stout.

silicles, indehiscent, sessile, segments 2, elliptic to oblong, torulose, (slightly to strongly constricted at transverse joint), terete or angular; (valvular segment persistent, dehiscent [indehiscent], 1(–3)-seeded, longitudinally striate or smooth, occasionally seedless and nearly as wide as pedicel;

terminal segment indehiscent, caducous at maturity, usually 1-seeded, rarely seedless);

valves glabrous or pubescent;

septum complete;

ovules 2–4; (style persistent, filiform);

stigma capitate, (flattened), 2-lobed.

silicles or siliques, dehiscent or indehiscent, usually segmented, usually latiseptate or terete (subterete or 4-angled in Erucastrum) [angustiseptate];

ovules (1–)2–276[–numerous] per ovary;

style usually distinct (absent in Cakile, obscure in Carrichtera, obsolete in Eruca);

stigma entire or strongly 2-lobed (sometimes slightly 2-lobed in Cakile).

uniseriate, slightly compressed, not winged, ovoid [oblong];

seed coat (smooth), not mucilaginous when wetted;

cotyledons conduplicate.

biseriate, uniseriate, or aseriate;

cotyledons usually conduplicate, rarely accumbent or incumbent (in Cakile).

= 8.