Tropidocarpum gracile
Encyclopedia
Tropidocarpum gracile is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family
known by the common name dobie pod. It is native to California
and Baja California
, where it can be found in many types of habitat from coastal canyons to inland mountains and deserts in chaparral
, scrub, woodlands, beaches, valleys, and washes
. It is an annual herb producing a decumbent to erect, spreading, branching stem 10 to 50 centimeters in length. It is coated in short and long rough hairs. The basal leaves are up to 10 to 15 centimeters long and are divided into elongated lobes along the edges; leaves higher on the stem are shorter and sometimes less divided. The inflorescence
is an open raceme
of mustardlike flowers with four petals each about 4 millimeters long. The petals are yellow and sometimes purple-tinged. The fruit is a narrow silique
several centimeters in length containing tiny brown seeds.
Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae, a medium sized and economically important family of flowering plants , are informally known as the mustards, mustard flowers, the crucifers or the cabbage family....
known by the common name dobie pod. It is native to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
, where it can be found in many types of habitat from coastal canyons to inland mountains and deserts in chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
, scrub, woodlands, beaches, valleys, and washes
Arroyo (creek)
An arroyo , a Spanish word translated as brook, and also called a wash is usually a dry creek or stream bed—gulch that temporarily or seasonally fills and flows after sufficient rain. Wadi is a similar term in Africa. In Spain, a rambla has a similar meaning to arroyo.-Types and processes:Arroyos...
. It is an annual herb producing a decumbent to erect, spreading, branching stem 10 to 50 centimeters in length. It is coated in short and long rough hairs. The basal leaves are up to 10 to 15 centimeters long and are divided into elongated lobes along the edges; leaves higher on the stem are shorter and sometimes less divided. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is an open raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
of mustardlike flowers with four petals each about 4 millimeters long. The petals are yellow and sometimes purple-tinged. The fruit is a narrow silique
Silique
A silique or siliqua is a fruit of 2 fused carpels with the length being more than three times the width. The outer walls of the ovary usually separate when ripe, leaving a persistent partition...
several centimeters in length containing tiny brown seeds.