mouseear cress
Family
BrassicaceaeScientific Name
Arabidopsis thalianaOther 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