mouseear cress

Family

Brassicaceae

Scientific Name

Arabidopsis thaliana

Other Common Names:

arabidopsis

Synonyms (former Scientific Names):

Arabis thaliana

Sisymbrium thalianum

Habit

winter annual herb

Leaves

The leaves are mostly basal and are more or less oblong and finely toothed. The few leaves that do occur along the stem are alternate, lack a leaf stalk, and are most often entire (no serration on margins). The leaves are hairy.

Identifying Characteristics

This species is a winter annual and grows to be quite small (7-10 inches tall). Most of the leaves are found in a basal rosette at the base of the plant. Both the leaves and stems are covered in hairs. Stems are mostly unbranched and terminate in a raceme. Flowers are small and white with four petals. The fruits are long (1/2 inch long) and thin. This species may look similar to rockcress and whitlow-grass species, but the fruits of mouseear cress are much thinner than either of these other two species.

Flower Seed Head

Raceme with clusters of white flowers.

Seed Fruit

Fruit is a long, thin silique. Inside each silique there is a single row of tiny seeds.

Where Found

Common in cultivated fields and waste areas.

Growth Habit

upright and nonwoody

Thorns or Spines

not present

Approximate Flower Diameter

pencil

Dominant Flower Color

white

Flower Symmetry

radial symmetery

Leaf Hairs

has hairs

Leaf Shape

Varies:

lance,

oval

Leaf Arrangement

Varies:

alternate,

rosette

Leaf Margin

Varies:

entire,

serrated

Leaf Structure

simple

Leaf Stalk

Varies:

none,

shorter than leaf

Stem Hairs

has hairs

Stem Cross Section

round or oval

Milky Sap

not present

Root Structure

Varies:

fibrous,

taproot

Life Cycle

winter annual

Ochrea

not present

Plant Type

Herb