ANNUAL WALL-ROCKET

STINKWEED

Diplotaxis muralis

Cabbage Family [Brassicaceae]

month8may month8jun month8june month8jul month8july month8aug month8sep month8sept

status
statusZneophyte
 
flower
flower8yellow
 
inner
inner8cream
 
morph
morph8actino
 
petals
petalsZ4
 
stem
stem8round
 
smell
smell8stinks
stinks

3rd May 2016, bus stop, East Lancs Rd, Worsley, M/cr. Photo: © RWD
A long procumbent specimen trying to get more light. [Ignore the larger leaves, they are not of this plant].


14th May 2018, streets, St. Leonards on Sea, Hastings. Photo: © RWD
Growing in the corner twixt pavement and garden wall. This lone specimen is not performing particularly spectacularly, but you can see what it does. They grow to 60cm; this one about half that. They are either hairless or only sparsely hairy.


28th April 2012, beach, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD
On a Sandy Shore not far from the sea. Alkalinic sands due to the numerous calcareous shells neutralising the acidity of the silicon dioxide (of which sand is made)


28th April 2012, beach, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD
Leaves mostly in a basal rosette; none on the stems.


28th April 2012, beach, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD
Sepals narrow, browning and almost stretching out as long as the petals.


28th April 2012, beach, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD
Flowers yellow, at 10-15mm across they are about half the size of the paler-yellow 15-30mm of Perennial Wall-Rocket.


28th April 2012, beach, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD
Flowers on shorter stalks than those of Perennial Wall-Rocket.


28th April 2012, beach, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD
Petals fairly short about as wide as long (unlike those of Sea Radish which are much longer than wide).


3rd May 2016, bus stop, East Lancs Rd, Worsley, M/cr. Photo: © RWD
Four stamens with cream anthers; solitary green style with yellow discoidal stigma atop.


5th Aug 2017, a road, Hall Road, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Fruits all green at first, with the green style still attached at the top.


3rd May 2016, bus stop, East Lancs Rd, Worsley, M/cr. Photo: © RWD
Pods browning as they mature, style staying the same green.


3rd May 2016, bus stop, East Lancs Rd, Worsley, M/cr. Photo: © RWD
Pods browning and more mature taking on a definite 4-square shape.


3rd May 2016, bus stop, East Lancs Rd, Worsley, M/cr. Photo: © RWD
You can see exactly how the many small seeds are arranged in the pod by the small bulges on the outside. The seeds are arranged in 2 rows. Style still green; stigma still attached and cream coloured.


28th April 2012, beach, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD
Stems usually hairy (hairless on Perennial Wall-Rocket). Stalks of pods held at an upwards angle of c.45° to the main stem; pods supposedly almost parallel to the main stem...


14th May 2018, streets, St. Leonards on Sea, Hastings. Photo: © RWD
The seed pods are alternate up the top part of the stem.


14th May 2018, streets, St. Leonards on Sea, Hastings. Photo: © RWD
Seed pods are long, but not as long as those of Eastern Rocket. The stalk (pedicel) is shorter (about half that of the developed pod). The pod grows to between 1.5cm to 4.5cm long and points skywards.


5th Aug 2017, a road, Hall Road, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Another Specimen: because the leaves do vary in shape/teeth. Stem leaves, are sparse, however.


5th Aug 2017, a road, Hall Road, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Stem hairs, if present, are mostly lower down the stem.


28th April 2012, beach, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD
Only slightly woody at the base (whereas the slightly taller Perennial Wall-Rocket is woody at the base). Leaves pinnately-lobed, with fairly narrow lobes.


5th Aug 2017, a road, Hall Road, Sefton Coast. Photo: © RWD
Your Author can only spot one leaf on the stem, here on the upper right side.


28th April 2012, beach, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD
Leaves supposedly pinnately lobed, this one errantly alternate. The leaves are <3 times longer than the width (> 3 times longer than wide on Perennial Wall-Rocket).


28th April 2012, beach, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, N. Wales. Photo: © RWD
Leaves have a fine pimply surface at close inspection (the other specks are sand grains of various sizes)


Some similarities to : Perennial Wall-Rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia), see captions for differences.

Many similarities to : Isle of Man Cabbage (Coincya monensis) but the leaves on that are are shiny and the seed pods have a long narrow conical section atop.

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Features : obnoxious smell when crushed and see captions.

No relation to : Wall-rue (Asplenium ruta-muraria) [a fern with both similar common and scientific names].

Because of its obnoxious smell when crushed it has the colloquial name of Stinkweed.

Unlike Perennial Wall-Rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia), Annual Wall-rocket is an annual rather than a perennial.

An annual (sometimes a short-lived perennial) and neophyte which grows up to 60cm high on waste ground, arable land,, rocks, walls, disturbed ground and especially on sandy soils. This seems to include sandy beaches by the sea above normal high tide as long as sea shells are there to neutralise the acids in the sand.


USE BY BUTTERFLIES
LAYS EGGS ON CATERPILLAR CHRYSALIS BUTTERFLY
Orange-tip



  Diplotaxis muralis  ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ Brassicaceae  

Distribution
 family8Cabbage family8Brassicaceae
 BSBI maps
genus8Diplotaxis
Diplotaxis
(Wall-Rockets)

ANNUAL WALL-ROCKET

STINKWEED

Diplotaxis muralis

Cabbage Family [Brassicaceae]