Slender wild cabbage facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Slender wild cabbage |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Caulanthus
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| Species: |
major
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Caulanthus major, also known as the slender wild cabbage, is a type of flowering plant. It belongs to the Brassicaceae family, which includes plants like broccoli and cabbage. This plant grows naturally in the Great Basin area and nearby parts of the United States. You can often find it on dry mountain slopes and similar places.
Contents
What is Slender Wild Cabbage?
The slender wild cabbage is a unique plant that gets its common name from its family. It's not a vegetable you would eat, but it is related to many common garden plants. Its scientific name, Caulanthus major, helps scientists around the world know exactly which plant they are talking about.
Where Does It Live?
This plant loves dry, open spaces. It grows in the Great Basin, which is a large, dry region in the western United States. It also lives in the areas around it. You can spot it on mountain slopes where the soil is dry and rocky.
How Does It Grow?
The slender wild cabbage is a perennial herb. This means it's a plant that comes back year after year, and it has soft, green stems instead of woody branches like a tree. It grows a tall, hollow stem from a woody base called a caudex. This caudex helps the plant store energy and survive through dry times. It is quite similar to another plant in its family, called Caulanthus crassicaulis.
What Does It Look Like?
The leaves of the slender wild cabbage grow in a circle near the bottom of the stem, like a rose. Other leaves also grow along the stem. These leaves can be smooth, have small teeth, or be deeply cut along their edges. The biggest leaves are usually found closer to the ground and can be up to 9 centimeters (about 3.5 inches) long.
Flowers and Fruit
The flowers of this plant are quite interesting. They are surrounded by thick, sometimes hairy, outer leaves called sepals. When they first appear, these sepals are very dark, often a deep purple color. The actual petals that come out from the top of the flower are narrow and have dark lines on them. After the flower blooms, it produces a thin fruit called a silique. This fruit can grow up to 13 centimeters (about 5 inches) long.
