Roadside Pennycress (Thlaspi alliaceum)
Image ID: 2016/pct21
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Other common names: Garlic Pennycress
Introduced
Family:
Brassicaceae (Mustard)
Height: 0.5 to 1.1 ft.
Blooms: May to
June
Leaf Type:
toothed
Bloom Size: 0.15 in. (typical)
Flower Description:
Elongate clusters,
Regular blooms, 4 parts
Location: Pine Creek Rail Trail
Date: 5/28/2016
Notes:
Garlic odor when crushed.
More photos of this flower
Roadside Pennycress may be
easily confused with:
- Peppergrass
Leaves of pennycress clasp the stem, while the leaves on peppergrass have short stalks.
- Shepherd's Purse
Look for the heart-shaped seed pods on shepherd's purse. Also, pennycress has a small, slightly toothed leaf, while shepherd's purse has a larger lobed leaf.
We started out as wildflowers from the bicycle trails of western Pennsylvania, but we've
grown!
Meyer, Joseph E. (1918). The Herbalist and Herb Doctor. Hammond, Ind.: Indiana Herb Gardens. 400 pp.
