EASTERN ROCKET
Sisymbrium orientale
Cabbage Family [Brassicaceae] 
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Cabbage Family [Brassicaceae]
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status
flower
morph
petals
stem
_2014_07_05_Seaforth_RimroseValleyCountryPk_canal_Botanisin_circ_053p4.jpg)
| 5th July 2014, Rimrose Valley Park, Waterloo, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| Erect or sprawling. |
_2014_07_05_Seaforth_RimroseValleyCountryPk_canal_Botanisin_circ_054p6.jpg)
| 5th July 2014, Rimrose Valley Park, Waterloo, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| This specimen has a preponderance of very-long lanceolate leaves, but leaf shape can apparently vary quite a lot. Grows up to 1m high. |
_2018_05_19_Chesterfield_canal_Staveley_Killamarsh_busSheffield)_007p98.jpg)
| 19th May 2018, a construction site, Chesterfield. | Photo: © RWD |
| The shadows of the plant on the lime-green wall somewhat confuse the photo. This specimen is branched. |
_2018_05_19_Chesterfield_canal_Staveley_Killamarsh_busSheffield)_010p53.jpg)
| 19th May 2018, a construction site, Chesterfield. | Photo: © RWD |
| Arrow-head Y-shaped leaves are also a common feature of the middle parts of Eastern Rocket (slightly right of dead-centre). |
IDd_2012_05_28_ColwynBay_LittleOrme_099p23.jpg)
| 28th May 2012, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, North Wales coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| Whereas this specimen has few narrow Y-shaped leaves but a few more irregular-leaflet pinnate leaves. |
_2018_05_19_Chesterfield_canal_Staveley_Killamarsh_busSheffield)_005p2.jpg)
| 19th May 2018, a construction site, Chesterfield. | Photo: © RWD |
| But the most striking feature when fruiting are the very long seed-pods, which are between 2.5 to 12cm, nearly straight, and angled upwards. You can look at either the shadows or the plant itself, both tell the story. There's a short pinnate leaf near the bottom shaped like a fish with tail-fins. [The green leaves emerging from the ground are probably of another plant]. |
_2017_08_05_HallRoad_DunesNorth_return_104p5.jpg)
| 5th Aug 2017, roadside, Hall Road, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| Ripe and very long seed pods. |
_2017_08_05_HallRoad_DunesNorth_return_104p7.jpg)
| 5th Aug 2017, roadside, Hall Road, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| Ripe seed pods seem to be square with ribs here and emerge from a short stalk once the flower stalk (pedicel). The pedicels are about 1mm wide and >2/3ds as wide as the ripened fruits. |
IDd_2012_05_28_ColwynBay_LittleOrme_104p6.jpg)
| 28th May 2012, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, North Wales coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| Seed pods growing from the flower at top whilst those lower down are longer and have discarded their now redundant flowers. Two long linear leaves/bracts emerge from just beneath a flowering branch (nearer the bottom of the photo). |
IDd_2012_05_28_ColwynBay_LittleOrme_110p5.jpg)
| 28th May 2012, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, North Wales coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| The petals, at longer than 6mm, are much longer than the sepals (which form a tube at the base). The styles are growing longer and into seed pods. |
IDd_2012_05_28_ColwynBay_LittleOrme_110p76.jpg)
| 28th May 2012, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, North Wales coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| The four greeny-yellow sepals form a loose tube around the lower part of the flower. |
_2014_07_05_Seaforth_RimroseValleyCountryPk_canal_Botanisin_circ_049p3.jpg)
| 5th July 2014, Rimrose Valley Park, Waterloo, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| Several as-yet un-opened flower buds at the summit. Others lower down opened first and are now decaying and the style elongating to become seed pods. |
_2014_07_05_Seaforth_RimroseValleyCountryPk_canal_Botanisin_circ_048p1.jpg)
| 5th July 2014, Rimrose Valley Park, Waterloo, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| The seed pods are hairy at first but become glabrous later. The green sepals appear much hairier. |
IDd_2012_05_28_ColwynBay_LittleOrme_111p79.jpg)
| 28th May 2012, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, North Wales coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| The 6 anthers are long and curved over somewhat. In the centre a style with discoidal stigma, shorter than the anthers but to become much longer seed pods. |
IDd_2012_05_28_ColwynBay_LittleOrme_116p71.jpg)
| 28th May 2012, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, North Wales coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| As-yet unopened flower pods. |
IDd_2012_05_28_ColwynBay_LittleOrme_116p66.jpg)
| 28th May 2012, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, North Wales coast. | Photo: © RWD |
IDd_2012_05_28_ColwynBay_LittleOrme_115p5.jpg)
| 28th May 2012, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, North Wales coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| Long linear leafy bracts just below a flowering branch. Growing seed pods above. |
IDd_2012_05_28_ColwynBay_LittleOrme_100p96.jpg)
| 28th May 2012, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, North Wales coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| Lower leaves can appear pinnate, but they are not in opposite pairs. |
IDd_2012_05_28_ColwynBay_LittleOrme_119pWOW.jpg)
| 28th May 2012, Rhos Point, Colwyn Bay, North Wales coast. | Photo: © RWD |
| The whole plant! Keep scrolling, or turn your computer monitor into portrait orientation. The upper leaves only have between 2 and no side-lobes (the lower leaves wider and more side-lobes and often with a slightly larger terminal lobe). |
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Not to be semantically confused with : There are several differing genera containing so-called 'Rockets': this one is in the Sisymbrium genus, other 'Rockets' are in Diplotaxis and Cakile which contains just Sea Rocket It is a neophyte which is frequently naturalised in waste places, like building sites, roadsides, etc.
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 Sisymbrium
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orientale
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⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ |
Brassicaceae
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 Sisymbrium (Rockets) |
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Cabbage Family [Brassicaceae]
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