Cabbage Family [Brassicaceae] |
status
flower
inner
morph
petals
stem
stem
sex
8th June 2016, Near Alien Spaceship, Blundellsands, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
The main stem stands upright up to 2m high. The upper stem leaves are oval(ish) but not lobed; the middle leaves have lobes at the base of the leaf or (further down the stem) several pinnate lobes on the leaf petiole (stalk). |
8th June 2016, Near Alien Spaceship, Blundellsands, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Side branches are alternate and well separated, usually with a long thin (broader lower down the plant) oval leaf (bract?) just beneath the junction. |
8th June 2016, Near Alien Spaceship, Blundellsands, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Larger stem leaves may have teeth (centre left) and might narrow to their base, but do not clasp the stem. |
8th June 2016, Near Alien Spaceship, Blundellsands, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers near and at the summit of the growing branches. |
8th June 2016, Near Alien Spaceship, Blundellsands, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Linear leaves beneath the branch junctions near the summit. |
8th June 2016, Near Alien Spaceship, Blundellsands, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers have the usual 4 petals for Brassica species. As-yet un-opened flower pods green. The growing fruit are closely appressed parallel to the stem and very thin at first. |
8th June 2016, Near Alien Spaceship, Blundellsands, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Flowers all yellow apart from green filaments with four slightly paler yellow anthers on. |
8th June 2016, Near Alien Spaceship, Blundellsands, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
The lower leaves. |
9th Aug 2016, River Alt, Hightown, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Later in the season, the plant has all gone pale straw coloured with the fruit now ripe. |
9th Aug 2016, River Alt, Hightown, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
9th Aug 2016, River Alt, Hightown, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
The dried fruit pods. They have a long pedicel (3 to 8mm long) leading to a broader linear pod with four slight bulges where the 4 seeds are located with. The style part at the top (which is less than 4mm long) has a short taper (beak) to the stigma which can hardly be discerned. |
9th Aug 2016, River Alt, Hightown, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
The seeds are blackish (hence the 'black' in both the common name Black Mustard and the specific epithet of the binomial - nigre) with much finer ridges on than fingerprints on the palm of your Authors hand. It seems that these basal leaves disappear when the plant is much taller - they are not to be found in the other photos. |
17th April 2015, River Dee, Aldford, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
Earlier in the year the basal leaves are much more in prominence, with, your Author surmises, the 7 vascular bundles in the stem being translated into 7 major veins on the leaves. Some basal leaves are pinnately lobed at their base. |
17th April 2015, River Dee, Aldford, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
The basal leaves are similar to those of Charlock, but with differences. |
17th April 2015, River Dee, Aldford, Cheshire. | Photo: © RWD |
Some leaves have (irregular) teeth. |
Not to be semantically confused with :
It is to be found on disturbed or rough ground, waste places, beside streams and rivers or on sea cliffs, as it is not afraid of heights.
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Brassica | nigra | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Brassicaceae |
Brassica (Cabbages) |
Cabbage Family [Brassicaceae] |