Braya Sternb. & Hoppe

Northern-rockcress (en)

Genus

Angiosperms > Brassicales > Brassicaceae

Characteristics

Perennials; (sometimes pulvinate, caudex simple or many-branched); scapose or not; usually pubescent or pilose, sometimes glabrous, trichomes short-stalked, forked, subdendritic, or submalpighiaceous, mixed with simple ones (rarely exclusively). Stems erect to decumbent or ascending, unbranched or branched. Leaves basal and, sometimes, cauline; petiolate or sessile; basal rosulate, petiolate, blade margins entire, sinuate, dentate, or, rarely, pinnately lobed; cauline usually absent, rarely few present, (sub)sessile, blade margins usually entire, rarely dentate or pinnately lobed. Racemes (corymbose, sometimes bracteate basally or throughout), elongated or not in fruit. Fruiting pedicels erect, divaricate, or ascending, slender (much narrower than fruit). Flowers: sepals [sometimes persistent], oblong [ovate], lateral pair not saccate basally (sometimes slightly so in B. humilis and B. linearis); petals white, pink, or purple [rarely pale yellow], obovate, oblanceolate, or spatulate, (slightly to much longer than sepals), claw distinct or not, (shorter than sepal, apex obtuse or rounded); stamens tetradynamous; filaments dilated or not basally; anthers ovate or oblong, (apex usually obtuse, sometimes apiculate); nectar glands (4), lateral, 1 on each side of lateral stamen. Fruits siliques or silicles, sessile, linear, oblong, cylindrical, oval-elliptic, ovoid, lanceoloid, lanceoloid-subulate, or globose, smooth or torulose, terete or slightly latiseptate; valves each often with prominent midvein, glabrous or pubescent; replum rounded; septum complete, (membranous, translucent); ovules (5-)14-44 per ovary; stigma capitate, entire or slightly 2-lobed. Seeds plump, not winged, oblong or ovoid; seed coat (minutely reticulate), not mucilaginous when wetted; cotyledons incumbent. x = 7.
More
Herbs perennial with simple or many-branched caudices, sometimes forming cushions. Trichomes simple or forked. Basal leaves petiolate, rosulate, simple, entire or dentate, rarely pinnately lobed, petiolar base persistent. Cauline leaves absent, rarely few, sessile or nearly so, not auriculate, entire or rarely dentate. Racemes ebracteate or only lowermost flowers bracteate, elongated or not in fruit. Fruiting pedicels erect or divaricate. Sepals ovate or oblong, caducous or persistent, erect, base of lateral pair not saccate, margin membranous. Petals white, pink, or purple, rarely yellow, longer than sepals; blade obovate or oblanceolate, apex obtuse or rounded; claw shorter than sepals. Stamens 6, tetradynamous; filaments dilated at base; anthers ovate or oblong, obtuse at apex. Nectar glands 4, 1 on each side of lateral stamen; median glands absent. Ovules 4-26 per ovary. Fruit dehiscent siliques or silicles, linear, oblong, ovoid, or lanceolate, terete or slightly latiseptate, sessile; valves with a distinct midvein, glabrous or pubescent, smooth or torulose; replum rounded; septum complete, membranous, translucent; style obsolete or to 1 mm; stigma capitate, entire or slightly 2-lobed. Seeds uniseriate or rarely biseriate, wingless, oblong or ovoid, plump; seed coat minutely reticulate, not mucilaginous when wetted; cotyledons incumbent.
Sep somewhat cucullate; pet white or suffused with purple, oblong-obovate; short stamens subtended by a U-shaped gland; filaments flat; anthers cordate-ovate; ovary cylindric, with 2–several ovules per locule; style very short; stigma capitate; fr linear, often torulose, the valves with prominent midnerve and obscure secondary nerves, the septum composed of thick-walled elongate cells and appearing transversely striolate at 20 x; herbs with simple or branched hairs. 20, circumboreal.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
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Sexuality hermaphrodite
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Hardiness (USDA) 4-10

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