Alpine pennycress facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Noccaea montana
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Rosids
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Brassicaceae
Genus:	Noccaea
Species:	N. montana
Binomial name
Noccaea montana (L.) F. K. Mey.
Range of Noccaea montana within the United States
Synonyms
Noccaea fendleri subsp. glauca (A.Nelson) Al-Shehbaz & M.Koch Thlaspi montanum L.

Noccaea montana, also known as the alpine pennycress, is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the Brassicaceae family, which is also called the mustard family. This plant grows naturally in the Western United States.

The alpine pennycress has a special way of growing. Its leaves form a circle close to the ground, like a rose, which is called a basal rosette. From this rosette, one or more short stems grow upwards. These stems do not have branches. They have small, arrow-shaped leaves. At the end of these stems, you'll find many tiny white flowers grouped together in a cluster called a raceme.

Where It Grows

United States Distribution

In the United States, you can find Noccaea montana mostly in the western part of the country. It grows almost entirely to the west of an imaginary line connecting the states of Texas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. This means it's common in states like California, Oregon, and Washington, as well as many others in the West.