Brassica tournefortii

Botanical Description

Brassica tournefortii is an erect, annual plant, often branching, growing 10 - 60cm tall from a long root[ 74 Title Flora of the USSR. Publication Author Komarov. V. L. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Israel Program for Scientific Translation Year 1968 ISBN - Description An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. The plant shows variability in size depending on the availability of soil moisture. Drought-stressed plants can reproduce with leaves as small as 8cm long and on sandy soils with sufficient moisture leaves have known to grow to more than 50cm long, giving the plant a 1metre spread[ 413 Title Global Invasive Species Database Publication Author Website http://www.issg.org/database/welcome/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Very detailed information on almost 400 species (with more being added) of plants that have become weeds in areas outside their native range. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild, and occasionally also cultivated on a small scale, for local use as a seed oil plant and a food[ 317 Title Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants Publication Author Website http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336 Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Terse details of a huge range of useful plants. ]. Brassica tournefortii is an annual plant whose seed has been spread by human activity and has become a weed in some areas. It is especially common in areas with wind-blown sediments and disturbed sites such as roadsides and abandoned fields. In N. America it appears to suppress native wildflowers by monopolising available soil moisture as it builds canopy, and it matures seed long before many native species have begun to flower. It also increases fuel loads and therefore fire hazard in desert scrub and coastal sage scrub[ 413 Title Global Invasive Species Database Publication Author Website http://www.issg.org/database/welcome/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description Very detailed information on almost 400 species (with more being added) of plants that have become weeds in areas outside their native range. ].