Cabbage Family [Brassicaceae] |
status
flower
inner
morph
petals
4 (8)petals
stem
2nd May 2008, Daisy Nook Country Park, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
Growing in dry bare places, or on rocks, walls or mountains. |
8th April 2011, Harris House, Hardraw, Yorks Dales. | Photo: © RWD |
A very low plant, less than three inches high, with a basal rosette of leaves and no stem leaves. Each plant can have a few narrow stems, with small groups of flowers atop. Flowering stems lack leaves (unlike the other Whitlowgrasses belonging to a differing genus, Draba) |
12th March 2014, Dry Dock, L&L canal, Wigan. | Photo: © RWD |
The leaves are all basal, with no stem leaves. In this specimen the leaves are sparsely toothed near the end, another example of the variability of this plant. |
8th April 2011, Harris House, Hardraw, Yorks Dales. | Photo: © RWD |
Four short green, sparsely hairy sepals surround four white petals. |
5th April 2018, Waterloo, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
A small compact flowerhead from below, all on short(ish) petioles. |
8th April 2011, Harris House, Hardraw, Yorks Dales. | Photo: © RWD |
Petals may be over-lapped before fully opening out. |
2nd May 2008, Daisy Nook Country Park, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
Fully opened and splayed out, the four petals are seen to have deep clefts more than half-way down the petals. Four to six stamens with yellow pollen. |
2nd May 2008, Daisy Nook Country Park, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
In maturing flowers a flattened oval pod enlarges. |
9th May 2014, crack in pavement, Walkden, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
The oval cross-section of the seed pod is in evidence here, as is the shuttlecock-like nature of the flowers before fully opening. |
12th March 2014, Dry Dock, L&L canal, Wigan. | Photo: © RWD |
Un-opened flower buds are small and spherical. |
9th May 2014, crack in pavement, Walkden, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
This specimen has 5 anther-tipped stamens and a single discoidal stigma in the centre. |
12th March 2014, Dry Dock, L&L canal, Wigan. | Photo: © RWD |
Seed pods are long and ovaloid but usually asymmetrical. |
2nd May 2008, Daisy Nook Country Park, Gtr M/cr. | Photo: © RWD |
Green, flattened oval pods with the remains of the discoidal stigmas atop. |
5th April 2018, Waterloo, Sefton Coast. | Photo: © RWD |
Each flower should have 6 pale-green filaments with yellow anthers atop. A fruit topped by a discoidal stigma is developing in the centre of each of these 3 examples. |
8th April 2011, Harris House, Hardraw, Yorks Dales. | Photo: © RWD |
The basal rosette of leaves may or may not be toothed; the plant is very variable. |
8th April 2011, Harris House, Hardraw, Yorks Dales. | Photo: © RWD |
The leaves are sparsely covered in hairs arising from small pimples on the surface. |
4th May 2019, Fairy Glen, Appley Bridge, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
When it has died, only the translucent papery-thin seed pods survive on their dried-out fawn-coloured stems. |
4th May 2019, Fairy Glen, Appley Bridge, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
Most of these pods are curved into banana or boomerang shapes. The brown seeds within the thin pods are easily seen through the paper-thin whitish membranes, sometimes singly or with up to (maybe) half a dozen seeds in, but some have none. This might be because some have escaped but this seems unlikely - the seed pods don't appear broken. However, Clive Stace says there are between 15 to 50 seeds in a pod, which maybe the fully populated all-brown pod on the right might confirm. |
4th May 2019, Fairy Glen, Appley Bridge, Lancs. | Photo: © RWD |
The seeds themselves are flat(ish), brown and oval |
Not to be confused with : Grass-of-Parnassus, Sea Arrow-grass, Marsh Arrow-grass, Sparrowgrass, Danish Scurvygrass,
Not to be mistaken for : Differentiated from most other Whitlowgrasses by : the deep cleft (over half-way) in the four petals.
Slight resemblance to : Common Whitlowgrass flowers early in the season and grows in dry places such as walls, rocks, mountains and bare dry places.
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Erophila | verna | ⇐ Global Aspect ⇒ | Brassicaceae |
Erophila (Whitlowgrasses) |
Cabbage Family [Brassicaceae] |