Flora of North America species comparison

erect, unbranched or branched distally.

basal and cauline;

petiolate or sessile;

basal usually not rosulate, petiolate, blade margins usually lyrate, pinnatifid, or 1- or 2-pinnatisect, rarely undivided, (lobes usually coarsely dentate);

cauline shortly petiolate or subsessile [sessile], blade (base not auriculate), margins often dentate or shallowly lobed [entire], rarely subentire.

petiolate or sessile;

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

absent or simple.

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

usually ebracteate, often elongated in fruit.

sepals usually spreading, rarely reflexed, narrowly oblong [linear], lateral pair not saccate basally;

petals (spreading), yellow, obovate, claw differentiated from blade, (claw subequaling sepal, apex obtuse or emarginate);

stamens tetradynamous;

filaments not dilated basally;

anthers oblong, (apex obtuse);

nectar glands (4), distinct, lateral pair usually prismatic, rarely lobed, median pair present, (ovoid).

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.

ascending, divaricate, or suberect [erect, reflexed], stout [slender].

siliques, dehiscent, sessile, segments 2, linear or lanceolate [oblong], torulose, terete or slightly flattened [4-angled, latiseptate]; (valvular segment dehiscent, longer or shorter than terminal segment, 2–5(–12)-seeded;

terminal segment indehiscent, seedless or 1- [2-]seeded, flattened and ensiform, or terete and conical or subulate, sometimes corky);

valves each with 3–5(–7) prominent, longitudinal veins, (thin or thick), glabrous or pubescent;

replum rounded;

septum complete;

ovules 4–20 per ovary;

stigma capitate, 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, usually plump, rarely slightly flattened, not winged, globose;

seed coat (finely reticulate [smooth or alveolate]), mucilaginous or not when wetted;

cotyledons conduplicate.

biseriate, uniseriate, or aseriate;

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

= [7], 9, 12.