Minnesota Wildflowers


or try: advanced plant search
Make a Donation!
Share |

Turritis glabra (Tower Mustard)

Plant Info
Also known as: Tower Rockcress
Genus:Turritis
Family:Brassicaceae (Mustard)
Life cycle:biennial, short-lived perennial
Origin:native
Habitat:part shade, sun; dry fields, roadsides, woodland edges
Bloom season:May - July
Plant height:1 to 5 feet
County distribution (click map to enlarge):Minnesota county distribution map

Pick an image for a larger view. Most image enlargements are 50-100KB, though some may be larger. See the glossary for icon descriptions.

Detailed Information

Flower: Flower shape: 4-petals Cluster type: flat raceme

[photo of flowers] An elongating raceme, with blooming flowers in a small flat, compact cluster at the top of the stem. Flowers are 1/8 to ¼ inch long with 4 white or creamy colored petals, 4 green to yellowish sepals darker on the tip end, several yellow stamens, and a flower stalk up to ½ inch long. The petals may be spreading but they're often seen only poking out of the sepals by a little bit and not fully open. A plant typically has multiple flowering branches.

Leaves and stem: Leaf attachment: alternate basal Leaf type: simple

[photo of stem leaves] Stem leaves are up to 3 inches long and 1 inch wide, generally lance-like, toothless, mostly hairless except perhaps around the edges, with a pointed tip and a pair of lobes at the base that wrap around and clasp the stem. Leaves become progressively smaller as they ascend the stem, and are covered with a waxy powder that gives them a blue-green cast.

[photo of basal leaves] Basal leaves are more spatula shaped with a blunt tip and shallow lobes or largish irregular teeth, hairy to varying degrees, especially on the underside along the midrib and along the edges. The stem is mostly smooth and light green, often also with a bluish cast.

Fruit:

[photo of fruit] Fruit is a straight slender pod up to 2½ inches long, containing 2 rows of tiny seeds. Pods are erect, crowded and hug the stem.

Notes:

Tower Mustard is more commonly known as Arabis glabra, but recent DNA testing has moved it to genus Turritis. It is not likely to be mistaken for any other species, easily identified by the clasping leaves and erect pods close to the stem. Most references put its maximum height at about 3½ feet, but I've seen late season plants close to 5 feet tall.

Where to buy native seed and plants

Help support this site by buying seeds & plants from these vendors. Tell them we sent you!

  • Out Back Nursery and Landscaping - Where Ecology and Horticulture Unite
  • Shooting Star Native Seeds - Native Prairie Grass and Wildflower Seeds
  • Landscape Alternatives - Distinctive Native Plants since 1986!
  • Prairie Restorations - Bringing people together with the land
  • Shop for native seeds and plants at PrairieMoon.com!

Map of native plant purveyors in the upper midwest

More photos

Photos taken at Wild River State Park, Chisago county.

Comments

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

Post a comment

Note: All comments are moderated before posting to keep the riff-raff out. An email address is required, but will not be posted—it will only be used for information exchange between the 2 of us (if needed) and will never be given to a 3rd party without your express permission.

For info on subjects other than plant identification (gardening, invasive species control, edible plants, etc.), please check the links and invasive species pages for additional resources.



(required)




Note: Comments or information about plants outside of Minnesota and neighboring states may not be posted because I’d like to keep the focus of this web site centered on Minnesota. Thanks for your understanding.