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Species Image Gallery (opens in a new window) |
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| THE MUSTARD FAMILY | |||||||||
| The mustard family can easily be
identified by the fruit types. In this family the fruit types are the silicle
and the silique. Both fruit types split open along two lines and have a
membranous partition in the center to which the seeds attach. The silicle
is long and thin, while the silicle is short and wide. The mustard family
can also be identified by the flowers. The flowers have four separate sepals
and four clawed petals arranged in a cross shape. There are four long stamens
and two short stamens. The mustard family is well known in Saskatchewan. Many people farm canola as a crop. Also, many vegetables we consume in North America come from this family including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and brussel sprouts. |
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| SAND BITTERCRESS | |||||||||
| LATIN NAME: Cardamine parviflora var. arenicola | |||||||||
| WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? | |||||||||
| Sand bittercress is 10 to 25 cm tall. This plant has a slender taproot and fibrous roots. The stem is simple to branched and is without hairs. There are basal and stem leaves, both of which have seven to 11 leaflets. The leaflets on the basal leaves are ovate to rounded, but the leaflets on the stem leaves are more linear. The flowers are crowded in unbranched clusters. The flowers are small and have four white petals. The fruit is an upward-pointing silique. A membranous partition remains on the stem, even after the fruits have been dispersed. | |||||||||
| WHERE DOES IT GROW? | |||||||||
| Sand bittercress grows on rocky or sandy shores. | |||||||||
| WHERE IS IT FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN? | |||||||||
| This species is only found in east-central Saskatchewan in the Boreal Transition and Churchill River Upland ecoregions. | |||||||||
| WHY IS IT RARE? | |||||||||
| This species is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is rare and most local populations are small. | |||||||||
| HOW TO IDENTIFY SAND BITTERCRESS | |||||||||
| * Are the flowers white? * Are there four petals in a cross shape? * Are the stems completely without hairs? * Did you find it in east-central Saskatchewan? | |||||||||
| If you answered yes to all of these questions, you may have found sand bittercress! | |||||||||
