Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb ex Prantl
flixweed (herb sophia)
Brassicaceae (Mustard family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Paul Handford     (Photo ID #65404)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Descurainia sophia
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Annual or biennial herb from a taproot; stems 30-100 cm tall, usually branched above, occasionally from the base; finely starlike-hairy, often greyish, sometimes with some simple hairs.
Leaves:
Basal leaves few; stem leaves very deeply twice or thrice pinnately lobed to twice or thrice compound, oblanceolate to widely egg-shaped, short-stalked, 2-10 cm long, ultimate lobes of leaves generally linear.
Flowers:
Racemes elongated; flower stalks slender, ascending, 7-14 mm long, less than half the length of the siliques; petals pale yellow, needle-like, spoon-shaped, about length of sepals; sepals 2-2.5 mm long, greenish or yellowish.
Fruits:
Siliques, nearly erect, linear, 11-33 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, inconspicuously constricted between the seeds, rounded at tip; seeds (12) 15-25 per chamber in one row, 0.7-1.5 mm long, oblong-elliptic.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Descurainia sophia

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
782 184 1708
Slope Gradient (%)
23 0 100

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

187 12 340
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
3 0 7
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
76
Modal BEC Zone Class
BG

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

BG(46), ESSF(4), IDF(14), MS(1), PP(5), SBPS(3)

Habitat and Range

Mesic to dry fields and waste places in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; frequent throughout BC except Queen Charlotte Islands and adjacent coast; introduced from Eurasia.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Sisymbrium sophia L.
Sophia sophia (L.) Britton