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Arabidopsis thaliana

Thale cress

Blütenstand (CC BY-SA 4.0) Salicyna

Short Description

The thale cress can grow up to 30 centimetres high.

The leaves are grey-green and fine-haired. They appear to emerge directly from the soil in a rosette (basal) or are arranged singly and alternately on the stem.

The erect stem is hairless on the upper part and hairy on the lower part.

The flowers are clustered at the end of a racemose inflorescence. They are white and have four petals. In the centre of the flower there are four long and two short stamens.

The fruits are long, narrow pods. They stand below the flowers on the stem.

Features

Thale cress

Arabidopsis thaliana

  • four white petals

  • narrow green pods

Similar species

Garlic mustard

Alliaria petiolata
The leaves are heart- to kidney-shaped. Crushed leaves give off a garlicky scent.

Sand rock-cress

Arabidopsis arenosa
The leaves are coarsely toothed and very hairy. The flowers can also be pink instead of white. The pods are clearly flattened.

Shepherd's purse

Capsella bursa-pastoris
The leaves are mostly elongated and toothed to incised (pinnate). The fruits are triangular.
Blattrosette (CC BY-SA 4.0) Stefan.lefnaer

In the city

In the city, the thale cress is mainly found on open soils in sunny locations.

Fun Facts

  • The thale cress belongs to the same plant family as mustard and cabbage. It contains glucosinolates, which are often found in the cruciferous family.

  • The four crosswise arranged petals, the pod fruits and the four longer and two shorter stamens are typical of the cruciferous plant family.

  • The flowering period is from April to May.

  • It is an annual plant, i.e. it flowers for only one summer and dies after the seeds have ripened.

  • Endangerment level Germany: not endangered

  • In plant genetics, the thale cress is the world's most important model plant.

Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) Stefan.lefnaer

Sources

Blütenstand, Salicyna, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arabidopsis_thaliana_2019-04-27_2236.jpg

Blattrosette, Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arabidopsis_thaliana_sl13.jpg

Habitus, Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arabidopsis_thaliana_sl1.jpg

Eggenberg, S. & Möhl, A. (2007) Flora Vegetativa: Ein Bestimmungsbuch für Pflanzen der Schweiz im blütenlosen Zustand, Bern, Stuttgart, Wien: Haupt Verlag.

Spohn, M., Golte-Bechtle, M. & Spohn, R. (2015) Was blüht denn da? Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.

Jäger, E. J. (2011) Rothmaler - Exkursionsflora von Deutschland. Gefäßpflanzen: Grundband, Heidelberg: Spektrum Akademischer Verlag.

Kammer, P. M. (2016) Pflanzen einfach bestimmen. Schritt für Schritt einheimische Arten kennenlernen, Bern: Haupt Verlag.

Lippert, W. & Podlech, D. (1993) GU Naturführer. Blumen: die wichtigen Blütenpflanzen Mitteleuropas erkennen und bestimmen, München: Gräfe und Unzer Verlag.

Schauer, T., Caspari, C. & Caspari, S. (2015) Der illustrierte BLV-Pflanzenführer für unterwegs. 1150 Blumen, Gräser, Bäume und Sträucher, München: BLV.

Page „Acker-Schmalwand“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 05.01.2017, 09:41 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Acker-Schmalwand&oldid=161305092 (Accessed: 20.04.2017).