Thlaspi L.

Herbs, annual, biennial or perennial, glabrous or glaucous, more rarely pilose, with unbranched hairs. Radical leaves rosulate, rarely not, entire or shallowly dentate; cauline leaves oblong, entire or toothed, sessile or subsessile with auriculate base. Inflorescence an ebracteate elongating raceme or sometimes corymbose or scapose, Flowers white or pink, rarely yellow. Sepals oblique, erect, not scapose, broad-membranous along margins. Petals entire, obovate or spathulate, shortly clawed at base. Stamens free, edentate. Fruit a dehiscent silicula, oblong to elliptic, obcordate or orbicular, laterally compressed, acuminate or acute at apex, style erect, more or less elongated, apex stigmatose, emarginate; valves boat-shaped, dorsally sharply keeled, sometimes more or less winged or rarely wingless; septum narrow, membranous. Seeds 2-several in each locule; cotyledons accumbent.

Mostly in Europe and Asia; about 60 species, 6 in India.

KEY TO THE SPECIES

1a. Fruits orbicular to broadly obcordate, winged throughout the length

2

b. Fruits usually oblong, winged only in the upper 2/3 or wingless

3

2a. Fruits orbicular, seeds striated

2. Thlaspi arvense

b. Fruits obcordate, seeds not striated

4. Thlaspi kotschyanum

3a. Flowers 6 - 7 mm across; fruits oblong-elliptic, more or less entire at apex, wingless

1. Thlaspi andersonii

b. Flowers 3 - 5 mm across; fruits oblong or obtriangular, slightly or distinctly retuse at apex, wings obscure or sharp

4

4a. Fruits obtriangular to oblong, straight; plants usually 15 - 30 cm high

5. Thlaspi montanum

b. Fruits oblong, subcontorted; plants short up to 15 cm high

5

5a. Fruits 2 - 2.5 mm broad

3. Thlaspi cochlearioides

b. Fruits ca 1.5 mm broad

6. Thlaspi septigerum

List of Lower Taxa