MUSTARD FAMILY (Cruciferae)
WHITLOW-GRASS PEPPERGRASS
Annual or perennial herbs; sepals 4; petals 4, standing opposite each other in a square cross; stamens, 4 long and 2 short; fruit a special pod called a silique.
Wedge-Leaved Whitlow-Grass (Draba cuneifolia) is so small that it might be overlooked if it bloomed at any other time than early spring. Growing from a cluster of basal leaves, the stems are topped by the cluster of small, alyssum-like flowers. It grows throughout the Southern United States and Mexico.
Alyssum-Flowered Peppergrass (Lepidium alyssoides) is a low bushy perennial plant with numerous clusters of small white flowers. It grows in the western part of the state, ranging to Arizona and Colorado. Many other peppergrasses are found in the state, some with inconspicuous flowers, but all having the small, flat, roundish seed-pod which is usually notched above. The foliage and pods have an aromatic-peppery flavor. In some species the leaves are used for salad and the seeds for bird food, but the seeds from some native species have been fed to canaries with fatal results.
The mustard family is a large group well represented in Texas among the early spring flowers and includes many of our vegetables, such as mustard, cabbage, cauliflower, radish, and water-cress.
TANSY MUSTARD SLENDER BLADDER-POD
Tansy Mustard (Sophia pinnata) grows in dry soil across the continent, blooming in Texas in March and April. The narrow pods are about half an inch long, erect or ascending. The flowers are small, the petals yellow. In the southern part of the state it is very abundant and grows 2-3 ft. high. The name was given because of medicinal properties accredited to the plant.
Slender Bladder-Pod. Cloth-of-Gold (Lesquerella gracilis) can be recognized by its bladder-like pods, which are responsible for its common name of pop-weed. The yellow petals are narrowed at the base and streaked with orange. The first flush of yellow on plains and prairies is usually due to the bladder-pods. There are more than 20 species in the state, most of them being very abundant. The scientific name is in honor of Leo Lesquereux, a Swiss and American botanist.
The western wall-flower (Erysimum asperum), which grows in sandy areas in West Texas, is one of the showiest yellow mustards in the state. Several large-flowered purple mustards are common, including Streptanthus bracteatus.
GREGGIA SPECTACLE-POD
Greggia (Greggia camporum) is a white-flowered mustard which looks like the yellow western wall-flower. The flowers are about half an inch broad and sometimes tinged with purple. The stems are about a foot high and almost concealed by the broad gray-green leaves. The woolly pods are narrow, flattened, and about half an inch long. It is one of the commonest flowers in Southwestern Texas, blooming in April, May, and June.
Spectacle-Pod (Dithyraea wislizeni) is a common plant on sandhills and gravelly mesas in Western Texas and ranges to Utah and Mexico. Any one seeing the seed pods will think that the common name is most appropriate. The plants grow 1-2 ft. high and are topped by the showy clusters of white flowers. The leaves and flowers are very much like those of greggia, but the fruits easily distinguish them. It was first collected by Wislizenus in New Mexico in 1846.