Kingdom Plantae Family Brassicaceae Scientific name Thelypodium laciniatum | Order Brassicales Genus Thelypodium Rank Species | |
Thelypodium laciniatum is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name cutleaf thelypody. It is native to western North America, particularly the Great Basin and surrounding plateau and foothill habitat, where it grows in sagebrush, scrub and rocky hillsides.
Description
Thelypodium laciniatum is a biennial herb producing many erect stems, sometimes exceeding one meter in height. The stems are hairless, solid, and often waxy in texture. The thick green basal leaves have blades divided into several lance-shaped lobes or segments; leaves higher on the plant are smaller and less divided.
The large inflorescence is a dense, spikelike raceme of mustardlike flowers with whitish or pale lavender petals. The fruit is a narrow, cylindrical silique up to 10 to 14 centimeters long. In fruit the raceme is covered in the siliques, which curve or stick straight out like whiskers.