Scientific Family
Brassicaceae
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Biennial or perennial
Height
To 2 feet
Riparian
No
An erect, branching plant with pinnatifid leaves and hairy stems. The white flowers occur in dense clusters at the tops of the stems. It is a conspicuous white roadside flower.
Perennial, annual or biennial; taprooted; erect branched hairy stems. Leaves pinnatifid or toothed. Flowers on elongated stems; white, 4-petaled, up to 1/4 inch long, petals broad, narrow at base. Fruits 2-chambered pods, each with 2 flattened seeds.
Habitat
Clay soils, roadsides, fields and washes.
Plant Community
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
0
High elevation
5000
Flower Characteristics
The pure white flowers have 4 petals and are 1/4 inch wide. The flowers are in dense clusters at the ends of the leafy, hairy stems.
Flower color
White
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
February
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
The light green basal leaves are nearly hairless and pinnately divided up to 2-1/2 inches long, divided into 3 to 8 pairs of narrow lobes, stem leaves reduced but similar to basal leaves.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Pinnatifid
Leaf margin
Dissected
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Rounded or elliptical pod with small notch.
Fruit type
Pod
Fruit color
Green to brown
Seeds are oblong and less than 1/8 inch in size.