Sisymbrium officinale (L.) Scop.

Sisymbrium species are annual, biennial or perennial herbs, glabrous or pubescent with simple trichomes, not scapose. Rootstocks taproot. Stem usually erect, subprostrate or decumbent, ascending, simple or branched distally. Basal leaves rosulate or not, obovate-lanceolate to oblong in outline, margin lyrate pinnatifid to pinnatisect, rarely entire, apex acuminate, petiolate, cauline leaves gradually smaller, similar to basal, petiole short to sessile. Inflorescence racemes, many flowered, considerably elongated in fruit, ebracteate, rarely bracteate. Flowers bisexual, yellow, white, pink, purple, pedicel erect or reflexed, divaricate, slender or thick, ascending, sepals 4, erect or spreading, linear ovate-oblong, margin membranous, inner lateral pair base sometimes subsaccate, petals 4, obovate-oblanceolate to spathulate, margins entire, apex obtuse or emarginate, claw distinct, usually almost equal or slightly longer than sepals. Stamens 6 rarely 4, tetradynamous, filaments not dilated near the base, anthers ovate-oblong, apex obtuse rarely apiculate, nectar glands 4 confluent, usually subtending the bases of stamens, median glands present. Ovary superior, linear subcylindrical, bicarpellary, ovules 10-160. Fruit siliqua, dehiscent, linear cylindrical, sessile or rarely shortly stipitate, terete or latiseptate, smooth or torulose, valves prominent midvein and obscure marginal veins, valves chartaceous to leathery, replum rounded, septum complete, style subclavate or cylindric, stigma capitate, bilobed, lobes not decurrent. Seeds uniseriate, brown, plump, oblong-ovoid, not winged, minutely reticulate, not mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons obliquely incumbent.

Sisymbrium species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: April—July.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Annual herbs, glabrous or sparsely to densely pubescent with retrorse trichomes, rarely glabrate, about 20-60 cm tall, not scapose. Rootstocks taproot. Stem erect, ascending, simple or densely divaricately branched. Basal leaves in rosulate, broadly obovate-oblanceolate to oblong in outline, about 2.5-8 x 1.5-4 cm across, margins runcinate-pinnatifid or lyrately deeply pinnatisect, with 1-5 lanceolate-oblong lobes on each side, terminal lobe slightly bigger than the lateral ones lobe margins coarsely dentate, glabrous above, sparsely pubescent beneath, midrib prominent beneath, petiole about 1-4 cm long, cauline leaves gradually smaller, similar to basal, upper ones margins dentate to entire, petiole short to subsessile. Inflorescence racemes, 15-25 flowered, elongated in fruit, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, yellow, pedicel erect, appressed to rachis, divaricate, slender than the fruit, about 6-10 mm long, sepals 4, erect or spreading, linear oblong, margin membranous, inner lateral pair base sometimes subsaccate, about 2-2.5 x 1-1.2 mm across, petals 4, spathulate, margins entire, apex obtuse or emarginate, about 2.5-4 x 1-2 mm across, claw distinct, about 1-2 mm long. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, filaments not dilated near the base, about 2-3 mm long, anthers ovate-oblong, apex obtuse, about 0.3-0.5 mm long. Ovary superior, linear subcylindrical, bicarpellary, ovules 10-20. Fruit siliqua, dehiscent, linear subulate, about 10-15 x 1-1.5 mm across, terete, erect, valves with prominent midvein, valves glabrous to torulose, septum complete, submembranous, style subclavate or subelongate, about 1-1.5 mm long, stigma capitate, bilobed. Seeds 10-11 in each locule, reddish brown, plump, oblong-ovoid, about 1-1.3 mm long, not winged, minutely reticulate, not mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons obliquely incumbent.

Sisymbrium species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus, mildews and moulds.

Undergrowth in Deodar forests, roadsides and rocky slopes, about 1800 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Used in folk medicine for treating sore throat, stomach ailments etc.