Alyssum

Herbs annual, (3-)7-25(-35) cm tall, canescent throughout with appressed, coarse, sessile, (3-)5-10-rayed stellate trichomes sometimes with unequal rays. Stems erect, ascending, or decumbent, often several from the base. Cauline leaves subsessile or lowermost attenuate to petiolelike base to 4 mm; leaf blade oblanceolate, obovate-spatulate, or elliptic-lanceolate, (0.5-)0.7-2.2(-3) cm × (1-)2-6(-8) mm, gradually smaller upward, base attenuate, apex acute. Fruiting pedicels divaricate, (2-)3-5(-6) mm, stout, straight, covered with stellate trichomes only. Sepals oblong, 1.7-2.3 × 0.8-1.1 mm, deciduous, with stellate trichomes. Petals pale yellow, oblanceolate, (1.8-)2-2.8(-3.2) × 0.6-0.8 mm, sparsely stellate outside or glabrous, caducous, base attenuate, apex often emarginate. Filaments 1.4-2 mm; median pairs broadly winged, apically 1- or 2-toothed; lateral pair with a broadly winged appendage apically 2-cleft; anthers ovate, 0.3-0.4 mm. Ovules 2 per locule. Fruit orbicular, (3.5-)4-6.5(-7) mm in diam., apex truncate or shallowly emarginate; valves not veined, uniformly inflated at middle, broadly flattened at margin, densely covered with coarse, stellate, equal- or unequal-rayed trichomes; style 0.7-1.6 mm, slender, glabrous or basally stellate. Seeds often 2 per locule, ovate, 1.6-2 × 1.2-1.5 mm, slightly compressed, margined or not. Fl. and fr. Apr-Jun. 2n = 16.

Xinjiang [Russia, Turkmenistan; N Africa, SW Asia, Europe; naturalized in North America].

Mountain slopes, open places, fields, steppe, meadows; 100-2600 m.

Alyssum micranthum C. A. Meyer; A. minus Rothmaler; A. minus var. micranthum (C. A. Meyer) T. R. Dudley; A. parviflorum Marschall von Bieberstein.