Western tansymustard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Western tansymustard
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Brassicales
Family:	Brassicaceae
Genus:	Descurainia
Species:	D. pinnata
Binomial name
Descurainia pinnata (Walt.) Britt.
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Descurainia pinnata is a type of flowering plant in the Brassicaceae family. It is also known by its common name, western tansymustard. This plant grows naturally across North America in many different places. It is especially good at growing in deserts.

Western Tansymustard: A Tough Plant

Western tansymustard is a very tough plant. It can grow almost anywhere, even in places where the soil isn't great or has been disturbed. This plant is an annual, meaning it lives for only one year. It's often hairy and has many branches, looking a bit like other mustard plants. It can look very different depending on where it grows.

What Does It Look Like?

There are different types (called subspecies) of western tansymustard. Even within the same type, plants can look different based on the weather and climate they grow in. It might grow in a bushy clump or stand tall and straight. Usually, it grows up to about 70 centimeters (2.3 feet) tall.

Its leaves are deeply cut or divided into many small, pointed, and toothed sections. Small yellow flowers grow at the ends of its branches. After the flowers, it grows long, thin seed pods called siliques, which are about 0.5 to 2 centimeters long. These pods hang from thin stalks called pedicels.

How Does It Reproduce?

This plant only grows from seeds. It does not spread using roots or other parts.

Uses and Safety

Western tansymustard has chemicals that can be harmful to animals if they eat a lot of it. However, in small amounts, it can be healthy for them. Butterflies love its tiny yellow flowers!

Its seeds taste a bit like black mustard. Long ago, Native American groups, like the Navajo, used these seeds as food.