Erophila verna (L.) Chevall.

Erophila species are small annual sometimes biennial or perennial herbs. Rootstocks taproot, sometimes woody. Trichomes simple, forked, mixed, stalked or sessile. Stem erect, scapose or leafy, simple or branched pubescent and rarely glabrous. Basal leaves simple, usually in rosulate, obovate to spathulate, margin entire or shortly dentate, ciliate, apex acute to obtuse, petiole short to sessile, cauline leaves when present, base amplexicaul, margins ciliate or entire or shallow dentate, petiole sessile or subsessile. Inflorescence racemes, few to many flowered, elongated or not in fruit, bracteate or ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, pale yellow, white, actinomorphic, pedicel erect, ascending, divaricate, sepals 4, subequal, erect, ovate-oblong, margin membranous, inner ones broadly ovate, outer ones longer, lateral pair base rarely saccate, apex blunt or obtuse, petals 4, obovate-orbicular or spathulate, base cuneate, margin entire, apex deeply bifid or emarginate, sometimes absent or suppressed, claw strongly differentiated. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, filaments dilated or not, linear and broadened towards the base, anthers oblong-ovoid, nectar glands 2 to 4, confluent and subtending bases of stamens, joining to form horse-shoe shape structure, lateral glands annular or semiannular, median glands usually absent. Ovary superior, linear, ellipsoid-cylindrical, sessile, bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovules 4 to numerous, style distinct, stigma bilobed. Fruit silicles or rarely siliqua, dehiscent, linear-ellipsoid to ovoid-suborbicular, terete, latiseptate, valves flat to subconvex, veins distinct, replum rounded, septum complete, surface glabrous or puberulent. Seeds 5-20, biseriate, compressed, brown, ovate-ovoid, not winged, minutely reticulate, not mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons accumbent.

Erophila 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: March—June.

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.

Slender annual herbs, highly polymorphic, scapose, about 3-20 cm tall. Rootstock slender, much branched taproot. Stem simple to much branched, slender, erect or suberect to spreading, aphyllous, rarely single leaved, pubescent at the base with simple or forked hairs, glabrous above. Basal leaves simple in rosulate, variable, lanceolate-elliptic to obovate-spathulate, about 6-15 x 2-5 mm across, base cuneate, margin entire or shortly 1-2 dentate, apex subacute, sparsely pubescent with simple or branched trichomes above and beneath, petiole sessile. Inflorescence dense raceme corymbs, 10-20 flowered, lax, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, white or rarely light pinkish, about 2.5 mm across, pedicel erect, ascending, divaricate, filiform, glabrous, about 6-10 mm long in fruit, sepals 4, subequal, erect, oblong, lateral pair base not saccate, apex obtuse, glabrous or pubescent, white margined, about 1.5-2 mm long, petals 4, obovate, base cuneate, margin entire, apex deeply bifid, about 2.5-3.5 mm long. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, about 2 mm long, filaments linear, anthers oblong, median glands usually absent. Ovary superior, linear, ovoid, bicarpellary, syncarpous. Fruit silicles or rarely siliqua, dehiscent, ovoid-oblong to subrobicuar, variable, about 5-9 x 1.5-3 mm across, base rounded, valves flat to subconvex, veins distinct, replum rounded, septum complete not veined, surface pubescent rarely glabrous, style short. Seeds 10-20, biseriate, dull brown, oblong-ovoid, about 0.5 mm, not winged, minutely reticulate, cotyledons accumbent.

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

Highly polymorphic species, found in rocky and grassy places.

Not evaluated (IUCN).