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western tansymustard
Scientific Name: Descurainia pinnata ssp. intermedia
Family: Brassicaceae
Category: Dicot
Growth: Forb/herb
Duration: Annual, Biennial
Other Names:
Descurainia pinnata: Western Tansymustard
Descurainia pinnata, commonly known as western tansymustard, is a flowering plant species belonging to the mustard family. The "Western" in the name might be misleading, as it can also be found in eastern regions like Central Florida.
Considerations for Pets
- The plant is noted to grow on disturbed ground, roadsides, or other open sites where mineral soil has been exposed. Therefore, it is often found in areas that pets frequent.
Taxonomy and Nomenclature
- Scientific Name: Descurainia pinnata (Walter) Britton
- Family: Brassicaceae (also known as Cruciferae), the Mustard Family
- Genus: Descurainia
- Common Names: Western tansymustard, Tansy Mustard, Menzies' tansymustard, Nelson's tansymustard, Payson's tansymustard, Green tansymustard, Pinnate tansymustard, Yellow tansy mustard
- Synonyms: The text mentions variations and subspecies, including Descurainia pinnata var. intermedia, Descurainia pinnata var. filipes, Descurainia pinnata var. brachycarpa, Descurainia pinnata ssp. brachycarpa, and potentially others based on mentions of Descurainia incana ssp. incana (mountain tansymustard) and Descurainia sophia (flixweed, tansy mustard).
Distribution and Habitat
- Native to North America.
- Widely distributed throughout the southern and western United States, up to 7000 feet in elevation.
- Grows commonly along ditches, roadsides, or on other disturbed, open sites with exposed mineral soil. Heavy stands may form on dry, sandy soils.
- Rare in New England, restricted to calcareous cliffs in New Hampshire.
Morphological Characteristics
- The foliage is typically some shade of green.
- It's a greenish to short-grey-hairy annual, with fine, star-shaped hairs.
- The leaf margins are pinnately lobed or divided.
Ecological Role
- Consumed by mammalian herbivores, particularly in drier Western states.
- The seeds are harvested by Pogonomyrmex salinus (a species of ant).
- Visited by desert marble butterflies.
- May host leaf miner insects.
Traditional Uses
- The Cahuilla people used the ground seeds for stomach ailments.
Further Resources
- Discover Life: For information about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification and distribution of Descurainia pinnata.