Common Name: MUSTARD FAMILY
Habit: Annual to shrub; sap pungent, watery. Leaf: generally simple, alternate; generally both basal, cauline; stipules 0. Inflorescence: generally raceme, generally not bracted. Flower: bisexual, generally radial; sepals 4, generally free; petals (0)4, forming a cross, generally white or yellow to purple; stamens generally 6 (2 or 4), 4 long, 2 short (3 pairs of unequal length); ovary 1, superior, generally 2-chambered with septum connecting 2 parietal placentas; style 1, stigma entire or 2-lobed. Fruit: capsule, generally 2-valved, "silique" (length >= 3 × width) or "silicle" (length < 3 × width), dehiscent by 2 valves or indehiscent, cylindric or flat parallel or perpendicular to septum, segmented or not. Seed: 1--many, in 1 or 2 rows per chamber, winged or wingless; embryo strongly curved.
Genera In Family: +- 330 genera, 3780 species: worldwide, especially temperate. Note: Highest diversity in Mediterranean area, mountains of southwestern Asia, adjacent central Asia, western North America; some Brassica species are oil or vegetable crops; Arabidopsis thaliana used in experimental molecular biology; many species are ornamentals, weeds. Aurinia saxatilis (L.) Desvaux in cultivation only. Aubrieta occasional waif in central NCoR, Carrichtera annua (L.) DC. in SCo, Iberis sempervirens L., Iberis umbellata L. in PR, Teesdalia coronopifolia (Bergeret) Thell., Teesdalia nudicaulis (L.) W.T. Aiton in southern NCoRO, CCo. Cardaria, Coronopus moved to Lepidium; Caulostramina to Hesperidanthus; Guillenia to Caulanthus; Heterodraba to Athysanus; California taxa of Lesquerella to Physaria; Malcolmia africana to Strigosella.
eFlora Treatment Author: Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz, except as noted
Scientific Editor: Douglas H. Goldman, Bruce G. Baldwin.

Habit: [Biennial] perennial herb, generally glaucous; hairs simple or 0. Stem: erect or decumbent. Leaf: basal rosetted, petioled, entire or dentate; cauline sessile, base lobed or clasping. Inflorescence: elongated or not. Flower: sepals erect, lateral pair not sac-like at base; petals white to +- purple, obscurely clawed. Fruit: silicle, flat perpendicular to septum, dehiscent, unsegmented; valves keeled, generally winged; stigma entire. Seed: 2--10[24], in 1 row, wingless.
Etymology: (D. Nocca, botanist, director of botanical garden, Pavia, Italy 1758--1841)
eFlora Treatment Author: Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz
Reference: Koch & Al-Shehbaz 2004 Syst Bot 29:375--384
Unabridged Reference: Holmgren 1971 Mem New York Bot Gard 21:1--106

Habit: Plant +- glaucous; caudex branched or simple. Stem: simple or branched distally. Leaf: petiole 0.4--7.3 cm; blade 0.4--3 cm; cauline ovate to +- oblong. Flower: sepals 1.6--5.3 mm; petals spoon-shaped. Fruit: pedicel 2.5--15 mm. Seed: 2--10, 1.1--2.1 mm, ovate. Chromosomes: 2n=28.
Note: 5 subspecies.
Unabridged Note: North America plants of this sp. were treated by P.K. Holmgren as conspecific with the European Noccaea montana (as Thlaspi montanum L.), but further studies indicate these are not closely related.