Leaves generally basal and cauline, alternate, generally simple; stipules 0
Inflorescence: generally raceme
Flower bisexual; sepals 4, free; petals (0)4, free, generally white or yellow, often clawed; stamens generally (2,4)6, generally 4 long, 2 short; ovary 1, superior, chambers generally 2, septum membranous, connecting 2 parietal placentas, style 1, stigma simple or 2-lobed
Fruit: generally capsule ("silique") with 2 deciduous valves, sometimes breaking transversely or indehiscent
Seeds 1–many per chamber
Genera in family: 300+ genera, 3000+ species: worldwide, especially cool regions; some cultivated for food (especially Brassica, Raphanus ) and ornamental
Recent taxonomic note: Recently treated to include Capparaceae [Rodman et al. 1993 Ann Missouri Bot Gard 80:686–699; Rollins 1993 Cruciferae of Continental North America. Stanford Univ Press]
Family description, key to genera by Robert A. Price.
ARMORACIA
Perennial, glabrous
Stem generally simple, < 2 m, ± coarse
Leaves simple, entire to pinnately lobed, sometimes dissected underwater
Flower: sepal bases not sac-like; petals short-clawed, white; filaments wider toward base
Fruit: septum generally incomplete; stigma bilobed
Seeds 2 rows per chamber; wing 0; embryonic root at edges of both cotyledons
Species in genus: 4 species: 3 Eurasia, 1 North America
Etymology: (Latin: horseradish)
| Introduced |
A. rusticana P. Gaertn., B. Mey. & Scherb.
HORSERADISH
Perennial, generally erect; roots deep, swollen, spongy
Stem often branched, 6–10(20) dm
Leaves: basal long-petioled, 3–5 dm, widely ovate to ovate-oblong, crenate to ± toothed; cauline petioled or not, lowest like basal, middle and upper often lobed
Flower: petals 5–7 mm
Fruit ± round, ± flat perpendicular to septum, generally abortive; style ± 0.3 mm, stigma prominent, persistent
Seeds 4–6 per chamber, generally abortive
Chromosomes: 2n=32
Ecology: Ditches, roadsides, moist places
Elevation: < 200 m.
Bioregional distribution: Central Coast, Great Central Valley, San Francisco Bay Area, expected elsewhere
Distribution outside California: temperate N.America; native to Eurasia
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