Barbarea vulgaris (L.) W.T. Aiton

Barbarea species are biennial or perennial herbs with woody caudax. Trichomes simple or absent. Stem erect or sparsely branched from the middle. Basal radical leaves rosulate or not, lyrately pinnatifid, margin entire, glabrous or pubescent, petiolate, cauline leaves amplexicaul, margin entire or irregularly sinuate dentate to pinnately lobed, petiole sessile. Inflorescence racemes, terminal, many flowered, lax, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, yellow, cream white, actinomorphic, pedicel slender, erect or divaricate, sepals 4, spreading or suberect, oblong, glabrous or pubescent, basal pair saccate, petals 4, spathulate-obovate, margin entire, apex obtuse, longer than sepals, clawed and obscurely distinct from the petal. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, filaments not dilated at the base, anthers oblong, nectar glands 4, lateral pair annular, median pair dentate, ovary superior, bicarpellary, syncarpous, linear, ovules 15-40, stigma capitate. Fruit siliqua, dehiscent, linear or terete or quadrangular, curved, compressed, valves papery, distinctly midveined, torulose or smooth, glabrous or rarely pubescent, style short or obsolete. Seeds few to many, uniseriate, not winged, oblong-ovoid, compressed, minutely reticulate, not mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons accumbent.

Barbarea 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--August.

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.

Biennial or perennial herbs, about 15-50 cm long. Stem erect, quadrangular, simple or sparsely branched above, usually glabrous or sometimes sparsely hairy. Basal radical leaves rosulate or not, obovate-oblong to oblanceolate in outline, about 4-12 x 1.6-3.7 cm across, margin deeply lyrate-pinnately lobed, lateral lobes 2-4 on either side of the midrib, lateral lobes very small when compared to the terminal lobe, linear oblong to ovate, terminal lobe broadly ovate to suborbicular, apex obtuse, glabrous, petiole only radicle and lowermost cauline leaves, about 0.5-3 cm long, cauline leaves smaller, oblong, about 1-5 x 0.6-2.5 cm across, base amplexicaul, irregularly deeply sinuate dentate to pinnately lobed or entire, apex obtuse, petiole short in lower leaves and shorter and sessile towards the shoot. Inflorescence racemes, terminal, 15-35 flowered, about 5-20 cm long, elongated in fruit, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, bright yellow, actinomorphic, about 6 mm across, pedicel slender, stellately pubescent, about 0.5-0.9 cm long, sepals 4, spreading or suberect, oblong, pubescent, basal pair saccate, about 3-4 x 0.8-1.3 mm across, petals 4, spathulate-obovate, base attenuate, margin entire, apex obtuse, about 6-7 x 1.5-2 mm across, clawed obscurely. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, filaments not dilated at the base about 2-3 mm long, anthers oblong-linear, about 1 mm long, nectar glands 4, lateral pair annular, median pair dentate, ovary superior, bicarpellary, syncarpous, linear, gynophores about 0.5 mm long, ovules 15-40, stigma capitate. Fruit siliqua, dehiscent, linear-terete or quadrangular, curved or straight, compressed, valves papery, about 1-3 x 0.1-0.15 cm across, distinctly midveined, torulose or smooth, glabrous, style caducous, about 1-1.5 mm long. Seeds uniseriate, not winged, oblong-ovate, dark brown, compressed, minutely reticulate, not mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons accumbent.

Barbarea species are susceptible to insect pests, virus, mildews and rusts.

Notes: Western Ghats, Native of North America

Open grassy slopes of temperate Himalayas, altitude 2000-4000 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).