Syrian Mustard

Herbs annual, (4-)10-40(-45) cm tall, scabrous pubescent throughout; trichomes in various sizes, largest subsetose, to 1 mm. Stems often with ascending rigid branches, mostly branched near base and about middle. Lower and middle cauline leaves with petioles (0.2-)0.5-2(-2.5) cm; leaf blade oblong, oblong-lanceolate, or elliptic, (1-)1.5-7(-9) × (0.3-)0.7-2(-3) cm, base cuneate, margin entire, dentate, or repand, apex acute or obtuse; uppermost leaves sessile or subsessile, much smaller. Fruiting pedicels 0.5-1(-1.2) mm, stout and nearly as wide as fruit base, appressed to rachis. Sepals 0.6-0.9 × 0.2-0.4 mm, sparsely pubescent. Petals white, narrowly spatulate, 0.9-1.3 × 0.1-0.2 mm, apex emarginate; claw 0.4-0.6 mm. Filaments 0.5-0.8 mm; anthers 0.1-0.2 mm. Fruit ovoid, 2-2.5 × 1.5-2 mm, erect, appressed to rachis, 2-seeded, scabrous, slightly 4-angled; replum expanded and to 1.5 mm wide basally, narrowed to apex; style subconical, 1-1.8 mm, curved away from rachis, sparsely pubescent. Seeds brown, oblong, 1.3-1.7 × 0.8-1.2 mm. Fl. and fr. May-Jun. 2n = 14.

Xinjiang [Afghanistan, India, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; SW Asia, Europe; naturalized elsewhere].

Roadsides, waste places, fields; 300-3500 m.

Anastatica syriaca Linnaeus, Sp. Pl., ed. 2, 2: 895. 1763; Bunias syriaca (Linnaeus) Marschall von Bieberstein.