Scientific Family
Brassicaceae
Synonyms
Athysanus pusillus var. glabrior, Thysanocarpus pusillus , T. oblongifolious
Other common names
dwarf athysanus
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
4 inches to nearly 1 foot
Riparian
Yes
Small annual herb with long, hairy, spindly stems branching from the plant's base where most of the narrow hairy leaves are clustered. Grows both flat on the ground and upright. Many tiny white flowers grow in elongated open clusters at the stem tips.
Diffusely branched from the base, stems slender, forked spreading hairs; leaves primarily basal; fruit of unwinged flat pods bearing hooked hairs that radiate from the margins; fruits do not open to release seeds when mature.
Habitat
Found in areas of brush and scrub, grasslands, floodplains, woodlands, chaparral, rock outcrops, cliffs and ledges that have dry, sandy and gravelly soils often with layers of limestone, sandstone, granite or volcanic rock like basalt.
Plant Community
Riparian
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
0
High elevation
5000
Flower Characteristics
The flower stalk has several long, narrow, 1-sided clusters with well-spaced tiny flowers. Flower petals, at times lacking, are white, 1/16 inch long and spoon-shaped; modified leaves (sepals) encasing the flower are about 1/16 inch long and drop early.
Flower color
White
Flower shape
Inconspicuous
Tubular
No
First bloom month
March
Last bloom month
May
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Basal leaves are egg-shaped to oblong about 1/2 inch long with short stalks and coarse, cross-shaped hairs; stem leaves are stemless, fewer and smaller than the basal leaves. Both basal and stemmed leaves may have smooth or few-toothed margins.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Flat, egg-shaped to oblong (silicle) has 1 seed, is 1/16 to almost 1/8 inch wide with soft hairs and prominent veins on its surface; often has 2 types of white hairs along its margin, larger hairs flat and hooked, smaller hairs branched or lacking.
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit color
Green
Seeds are round, flat, light brown, hairless and about 1/16 inch.