Minnesota Wildflowers


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Berteroa incana (Hoary Alyssum)

Plant Info
Also known as: Hoary False Madwort
Genus:Berteroa
Family:Brassicaceae (Mustard)
Life cycle:perennial
Origin:Europe
Status:
  • Noxious Weed
Habitat:part shade, sun; dry fields, along roads, disturbed soil
Bloom season:April - October
Plant height:1 to 3 feet
USDA PLANTS database:Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:

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Detailed Information

Flower: 4-petals round

[photo of flowers] Rounded cluster 1 to 2 inches across at the end of branching stems near the top of the plant. Individual flowers are ¼-inch across and have 4 white petals that are deeply notched to look like 8. There are 6 thick yellowish green stamens in the center. The branching stems elongate as the plant matures.

Leaves: alternate simple

[photo of leaves] Leaves are 1½ to 3 inches long, up to ½ inch wide, toothless, have a pointed or blunt tip and no leaf stem. They are covered in fine hairs that give them a grayish green color. Attachment is alternate. Young plants also have a basal rosette of leaves.

Fruit:

[close up of pods] Fruit is a round, flat pod ¼ inch long with the stub of a style at the top. They run along the length of the elongated branching stems.

Notes:

Hoary Alyssum is on the secondary noxious weed list for Minnesota. It is an invasive weedy plant often found in empty lots, on roadsides, and other sunny locations with dry disturbed soil.

Where to buy native seed and plants

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  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds
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  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos taken at Long Lake Regional Park, New Brighton, MN, September 2006, June 2007 and June-July 2008.

Comments

Have you seen this plant in Minnesota, or have any other comments about it?

Posted by: Dusty in Morrison County
on: 2010-06-16 22:15:44

We have these EVERYWHERE! Just wanted to put it out there that these cause sore feet in horses if eaten as they are toxic to them. Our Vet told us this today, so you can be sure that I will pull them out before we expand our pasture.

Posted by: Robyn in Litchfield
on: 2011-06-13 23:07:02

I see them on the sides of the road here. They are beautiful!

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