Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb ex Prantl

Descurainia species annual, biennial to perennial herbs. Stem simple or branched, erect, stalked trichomes mixed with glandular and branched hairs, rarely with simple hairs. Basal leaves deeply 2-3 pinnatisect, usually withered by the time of the flowering, margin deeply lobed, glabrous, petiolate or subsessile, upper cauline similar to basal ones, subsessile to sessile. Inflorescence racemes, lax, many flowered, ebracteate or sometimes bracteates near the base. Flowers bisexual, solitary on pedicels, white or pale yellow, actinomorphic, pedicel erect, ascending, divaricate, elongated or not in fruit, sepals 4, erect, linear oblong, ascending, lateral pair base not saccate, petals 4, obovate to oblanceolate, almost equal or slightly longer than sepals, base cuneate, margin entire, apex obtuse, claw strongly differentiated and long. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, filaments filiform not dilated at the base, anthers oblong, nectar glands confluent, lateral glands semiannular or almost annular, middle glands present. ovary superior, linear, bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovules 6-90, style obsolete, stigma capitate. Fruit articulated siliqua, dehiscent, compressed, to linear oblong, slightly tapering near the apex, breaking, terete, torulose or moniliform, becoming hard and splitting in the middle, style obsolete. Seeds few to many, uniseriate or biseriate, compressed, brown, oblong-ovoid, not winged, minutely reticulated, mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons incumbent.

Descurainia species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: April--August.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Erect annual herbs, about 20-85 cm long. Stem ascending branched slightly above the base and above, pubescent with stalked trichomes mixed with glandular and branched hairs, sometimes glabrous in some parts of the stem. Basal leaves deeply 2-3 pinnatisect, usually withered by the time of the flowering, shortly petiolate, cauline leaves similar to basal ones, linear ovate or oblong in outline, about 5-15 cm long, lobes narrow linear or oblong, 1-3 x 0.15-0.25 cm across, petiole subsessile to sessile. Inflorescence racemes, lax, about 30-50 flowered, up to 25 cm long in fruit, ebracteate or sometimes bracteate near the base. Flowers bisexual, solitary on pedicels, white or yellow, actinomorphic, pedicel erect, glabrous, ascending, divaricate, elongated or not in fruit, about 1.5 cm long, sepals 4, erect, linear oblong, ascending, lateral pair base not saccate, about 2-2.5 mm long, petals 4, obovate to oblanceolate, almost equal or slightly longer than sepals, base cuneate, margin entire, apex obtuse, about 2-2.7 x 0.7 mm across, claw strongly differentiated, about 1.5-2 mm long. Stamens 6, tetradynamous, filaments filiform not dilated at the base, about 2-3 mm long, anthers oblong about 0.5 mm long, nectar glands confluent, lateral glands semiannular or almost annular, middle glands present. ovary superior, linear, bicarpellary, syncarpous, ovules 20-40, style obsolete, stigma capitate, bifid. Fruit articulated siliqua, dehiscent, compressed, to linear oblong, slightly tapering near the apex, glabrous, terete, torulose, about 1.2-3 x 0.06-0.1 cm across, becoming hard and splitting in the middle, style obsolete. Seeds 15-25, uniseriate, compressed, reddish brown, oblong-ovoid, about 0.6-1 x 0.3-0.6 mm across, not winged, minutely reticulated, usually mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons incumbent.

Descurainia species are susceptible to insect pests, virus, mildews and moulds.

Dry mountain slopes, road sides and waste places, altitude 1500-4500 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Leaves and seeds are edible. Grounded seed paste used as medicine for sores, burns, toothache sciatica and considered as expectorant, febrifuge, laxative, restorative and tonic. Leaf juice has been used in the treatment of chronic coughs, hoarseness ulcerated sore throats. Plant decoction used in the treatment of asthma.