Jepson Herbarium
The University and Jepson Herbaria
University of California, Berkeley
Jepson eFlora: Key page
Vascular Plants of California
Key to families | Table of families and genera

Key to Descurainia

View taxon page for Descurainia

(For a list of species in Descurainia, use the above link.)

Jepson Manual glossary definitions can be seen by moving your cursor over words underlined with dots.

1. Fruit sparsely hairy at least in youth ..... D. adenophora

1' Fruit glabrous

2. Fruit 
fusiform 
image missingElongate, widest at the middle, tapered to both ends.
, obovate, club-shaped, or ellipsoid (broadly 
linear 
image missingElongate, with nearly parallel sides; narrower than elliptic or oblong.
, widest distally)

3. Fruit fusiform, obovate, or broadly ellipsoid; seeds 4–12, in 1(2) row per chamber; 
valve 
image missing1. In legumes or capsules opening by longitudinal lines, one of the parts into which the fruit is dehiscent. 2. In anthers, the flap of tissue resulting from dehiscence by a curved line. (e.g., Lauraceae, some Berberidaceae). 3. In Ophioglossaceae, one of the parts into which the sporangium is dehiscent.
midvein obscure

4. Fruit fusiform, both ends long-acute; style (0.2)0.3–0.6(0.8) mm; stem (1.3)2–10.5(13.5) dm, 
simple 
image missingComposed of a single part; undivided; unbranched.
at base, branched distally ..... D. californica

4' Fruit obovate, tip 
obtuse 
image missingHaving a short-tapered, blunt tip or base, the sides convex or straight and converging at more than a right angle.
, 
acute 
image missingHaving a short-tapered, sharp tip, the sides convex or straight and converging at less than a right angle.
at base; style 0.05–0.3 mm; stem (0.8)1.5–3.2(4.1) dm, branched throughout ..... D. paradisa

3' Fruit club-shaped (broadly linear, widest distally); seeds 16–40, in 2 rows per chamber; valve midvein prominent ..... D. pinnata

5. Inflorescence axis glabrous, nonglandular ..... subsp. glabra

5' Inflorescence axis sparsely to densely hairy, glandular or not

6. Plant sparsely to densely hairy (canescent), generally glandular; sepals yellow or lavender ..... subsp. brachycarpa

6' Plant densely canescent, generally not glandular; sepals purple or rose ..... subsp. ochroleuca

2' Fruit linear

7. Fruit 
appressed 
image missingParallel or nearly parallel to and often in contact with surface of origin; used to describe the disposition of hairs, leaves, pedicels, etc.
; 
pedicel 
image missingStalk of an individual flower in an inflorescence, or the corresponding structure in fruit.
 
erect 
image missingUpright; vertically oriented.
to erect-ascending ..... D. incana

7' Fruit not appressed; pedicel widely 
spreading 
image missingOriented more or less perpendicularly to the axis of attachment; often, more or less horizontal.
to 
ascending 
image missingCurving or angling upward from base, or about 30-60 degrees less than vertical or away from axis of attachment.

8. Fruit septum with 2- or 3-veined central band; leaves 2- or 3-pinnately lobed ..... D. sophia

8' Fruit septum not veined; leaves 1-pinnately lobed

9. Fruit 3–8(10) mm; petals 0.7–1.2 mm; seed 0.5–0.8 mm; plant not glandular ..... D. nelsonii

9' Fruit (8)12–35 mm; petals 1.7–3 mm; seed 0.7–1.5 mm; plant glandular or not

10. Ultimate segment of cauline leaves 
oblong 
image missingLonger than wide, with nearly parallel sides; wider than linear.
to 
lanceolate 
image missingNarrowly elongate, widest in the basal half, often tapered to an acute tip.
, 
dentate 
image missingHaving margins with sharp, relatively coarse teeth pointing outward, not tipward.
to incised (pinnately lobed); fruit straight or strongly incurved ..... D. incisa subsp. incisa

10' Ultimate segment of cauline leaves linear, 
entire 
image missingHaving margins that are continuous and smooth (i.e., without teeth, lobes, etc.).
; fruit straight or ± incurved ..... D. longipedicellata

 

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) . Jepson eFlora, https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/ [accessed on ]

Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on .

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