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Yellow Mustard (12)

Barbarea orthoceras

 

Flowers in the Mustard family have regular flowers with four petals. They are usually in clusters of tiny flowers. Many are considered weeds. There are many more members of this family, including the yellow Wallflowers, Bladderpods and Drabas, and the white Mustards.

Tall Tumble Mustard
Sisymbrium altissimum

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA: Jim Hill Mustard, Tumbleweed Mustard
Photo taken on: May 17, 2010
Location: White Rock, NM
Life Zones: Plains to montane
Habitat: Disturbed soil

A 4 feet tall, open plant with pale yellow flowers. Upper leaves are thread-like, basal leaves large and lobed. The plant becomes brittle and breaks off at the base becoming a tumbleweed.

Sisymbrium altissimum

Flora of North America reference.

Western Tansymustard
Descurainia pinnata

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA: Tansy Mustard
Photo taken on: June 30, 2008
Location: Almont, GV, CO
Life Zones: Plains to montane
Habitat: Disturbed soil

Grows in colonies with a stout reddish stem. Leaves are finely cut.

Flora of North America reference.

Mountain Tansymustard
Descurainia incana (D. richardsonii)

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on: May 21, 2010
Location: Poverty Gulch, GV, CO
Life Zones: Montane and subalpine
Habitat: Disturbed soil, meadows, gravelly areas

Grows to 4 feet branching above the middle of the stem. Leaves are deeply divided. Seed pods are pointed, erect, less than ½".

Flora of North America reference.

Sierra Tansymustard
Descurainia californica

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA: Sierran Tansymustard
Photo taken on: July 15, 2013
Location: Almont Triangle, GV, CO
Life Zones: Foothills to subalpine
Habitat: Open woodlands, roadsides, gravel

Grows 3-4 feet branching above the middle with deeply lobed leaves. Seed pods are pointed, erect, less than ¼" long.

Flora of North America reference.

Herb Sophia
Descurainia sophia

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA: Tansy Mustard, Flixweed
Photo taken on: April 30, 2014
Location: Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones: Foothills to montane
Habitat: Disturbed soil, sandy areas

Grows to 30" with a single erect stem. Leaves are bright green and velvety and cut into narrow segments. Seed pods are 1" long, pointed and point upwards.

Flora of North America reference.

Blunt Tansymustard
Descurainia obtusa

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on: April 30, 2014
Location: Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones: Foothills
Habitat: Disturbed soil, sandy areas

Grows with and is similar to Herb Sophia but can be taller, growing to 4 feet, and has grayish green leaves. See photo below. arrow Seed pods are ½" long and blunt at both ends.

Flora of North America reference.

Descurainia obtusa

Blunt Tansymustard & Herb Sophia
Descurainia obtusa & Descurainia sophia

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on: April 30, 2014
Location: Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones: Foothills
Habitat: Disturbed soil, sandy areas

 

Wild Alyssum
Alyssum simplex (A. minus)

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA: European Madwort
Photo taken on: May 8, 2004
Location: Taylor Canyon, GV, CO
Life Zones: Plains to foothills
Habitat: Dry slopes and disturbed soil

Grows to 10" in dense patches with tiny flowers. The whole plant is coarsely hairy. Fruits are round and 1/8" across.

Flora of North America reference.

Winter Cress
Barbarea orthoceras

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA: American Yellow Rocket
Photo taken on: June 8, 2006
Location: Gothic Road, GV, CO
Life Zones: Plains to montane
Habitat: Disturbed, wet soil

Grows to 20" with fleshy leaves grasping the stem. Leaves are edible with a horseradish-like flavor.

Flora of North America reference.

Flaxleaf Plainsmustard
Sisymbrium linifolium (Schoenocrambe linifolia)

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on: May 27, 2006
Location: Taylor Canyon, GV, CO
Life Zones: Foothills
Habitat: Dry slopes, woodlands and disturbed soil

Grows in dense colonies to 2 feet with almost leafless stems, a few narrow bluish-green leaves and long narrow seed pods. .

Flora of North America reference.

Alpine Yellowcress
Rorippa alpina (R. curvipes var. alpina)

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA: Blunt-leaf Yellow Cress
Photo taken on: August 26, 2007
Location: Green Lake - Irwin, GV, CO
Life Zones: Montane to subalpine
Habitat: Rocky, moist areas

Spreads to 15" across the ground with fleshy, lobed leaves.

Flora of North America reference.

Bog Yellowcress
Rorippa palustris

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA: Marsh Yellow Cress, Common Yellow Cress
Photo taken on: July 24, 2021
Location: Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery, GV, CO
Life Zones: Foothills to subalpine
Habitat: Moist areas, marshes

Grows from 12" to 40" as it matures and elongates. Basal leaves are coarsely toothed and lobed with the terminal lobe much larger. Stem leaves are not lobed. Flowers are tiny, about 1/8" across, and grow in a compact cluster at the tip with the seed pods developing below. Seed pods are cylindrical about 1/3" long.

Flora of North America reference.

Wild Rocket
Diplotaxis tenuifolia

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA: Perennial Wall Rocket
Photo taken on: September 28, 2012
Location: Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones: Plains to foothills
Habitat: Waste places, disturbed areas

Grows to 2 feet high with a rosette of basal leaves. The leaves are long and narrow with deep lobes and are edible. Bright yellow flowers with four rounded petals grow in clusters at the end of light green stems. The seed pods are 1 to 2" inches long, slender and erect.

Flora of North America reference.

Yellow Round Clusters