Thlaspi arvense L.
field pennycress
Brassicaceae (Mustard family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Neil L. Jennings     (Photo ID #9011)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Thlaspi arvense
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems 10-50 cm tall, simple to freely branched, glabrous.
Leaves:
Basal leaves few, shed early, oblanceolate, 2-6 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, sinuate to almost lyrate, narrowed to short stalks, glabrous; upper stem leaves unstalked, with earlike lobes at the bases, lanceolate to oblanceolate, toothed to wavy-margined and lobed, glabrous.
Flowers:
Flower stalks widely spreading to upcurved, 7-15 mm long, slender; petals white, 3-4 mm long; sepals 1.5-2.2 mm long, glabrous.
Fruits:
Silicles, oval to nearly heart-shaped, 10-17 mm long, 9-15 mm wide, strongly obcompressed, slightly notched, sinus 1.5-2.5 mm deep, wing-margined all around; beaks 0.1-0.2 mm long; seeds about 2 mm long, concentrically corrugated.

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 Thlaspi arvense

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)
859 495 1530
Slope Gradient (%)
5 0 18

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

224 72 308
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
3 2 5
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
10
Modal BEC Zone Class
IDF

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

IDF(5), MS(1), PP(3)

Habitat and Range

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

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia