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western tansymustard
Scientific Name: Descurainia pinnata ssp. halictorum
Family: Brassicaceae
Category: Dicot
Growth: Forb/herb
Duration: Annual, Biennial, Perennial
Other Names:
Descurainia pinnata - Western Tansymustard
Descurainia pinnata, commonly known as western tansymustard, is a flowering plant belonging to the mustard family.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Descurainia pinnata (Walter) Britton
- Family: Brassicaceae (also known as Cruciferae)
- Genus: Descurainia
- Common Names: Tansy Mustard, Western tansymustard, Menzies' tansymustard, Nelson's tansymustard, Payson's tansymustard, Pinnate tansymustard, Green tansymustard, Yellow tansy mustard.
- Synonyms/Related Species:
- Descurainia sophia (Flixweed, Tansy Mustard)
- Descurainia incana (Mountain Tansymustard)
- Subspecies/Varieties:
- Descurainia pinnata var. intermedia
- Descurainia pinnata var. filipes
- Descurainia pinnata var. brachycarpa
- Descurainia pinnata ssp. brachycarpa (Richardson) Detling
Distribution and Habitat
- Native to North America.
- Widely distributed throughout the southern and western United States, up to 7000 feet in elevation.
- Grows most commonly along ditches, roadsides, or on other disturbed, open sites where mineral soil has been exposed.
- In New England, it is rare and restricted to calcareous cliffs in New Hampshire.
- Also found outside of California, but is confined to western North America.
- Heavy stands may form on dry, sandy soils.
- Observed in Eastern Central Florida.
Morphological Characteristics
- An annual cool-season forb.
- Usually greenish to short-grey-hairy, with fine, star-shaped hairs.
- Foliage is usually some shade of green.
- Leaf margins are pinnately lobed or divided.
Interactions with Other Organisms
- Consumed by mammalian herbivores.
- Observed to have seed-pods harvested by Pogonomyrmex salinus workers (ants).
- Flowers visited by desert marble butterflies.
- May host leaf miner flies (Agromyzidae) on its leaves.
- Serves as a host plant for Anthocharis sara larvae (butterfly).
Quirky Facts
- The name "Western Tansymustard" is derived from the appearance of its leaves, which resemble those of tansy.
- Historically, ground seeds of Descurainia pinnata have been used by the Cahuilla people as a gastrointestinal aid for stomach ailments.
Resources and Further Information
- Discover Life: Biology, natural history, ecology, identification and distribution.
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: Western tansy mustard (Descurainia pinnata var. brachycarpa) profile, photos, videos, county distribution map, and sightings in Minnesota.