Yellow Mustard (12)
Flowers in the Mustard family have regular flowers with four petals. They are usually in clusters of tiny flowers. Many are considered weeds. There are many more members of this family, including the yellow Wallflowers, Bladderpods and Drabas, and the white Mustards.
Tall Tumble Mustard
Sisymbrium altissimum
Family:
Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Jim Hill Mustard, Tumbleweed Mustard
Photo taken on:
May 17, 2010
Location: White Rock, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to montane
Habitat:
Disturbed soil
A 4 feet tall, open plant with pale yellow flowers. Upper leaves are thread-like, basal leaves large and lobed. The plant becomes brittle and breaks off at the base becoming a tumbleweed.
Flora of North America reference.
Western Tansymustard
Descurainia pinnata
Family:
Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Tansy Mustard
Photo taken on:
June 30, 2008
Location:
Almont, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Plains to montane
Habitat:
Disturbed soil
Grows in colonies with a stout reddish stem. Leaves are finely cut.
Flora of North America reference.
Mountain Tansymustard
Descurainia incana
(D. richardsonii)
Family:
Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
May 21, 2010
Location:
Poverty Gulch, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Montane and subalpine
Habitat:
Disturbed soil,
meadows, gravelly areas
Grows to 4 feet branching above the middle of the stem. Leaves are deeply divided. Seed pods are pointed, erect, less than ½".
Flora of North America reference.
Sierra Tansymustard
Descurainia californica
Family:
Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Sierran Tansymustard
Photo taken on:
July 15, 2013
Location:
Almont Triangle, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Foothills to subalpine
Habitat:
Open woodlands, roadsides, gravel
Grows 3-4 feet branching above the middle with deeply lobed leaves. Seed pods are pointed, erect, less than ¼" long.
Flora of North America reference.
Herb Sophia
Descurainia sophia
Family:
Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Tansy Mustard, Flixweed
Photo taken on:
April 30, 2014
Location:
Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Foothills to montane
Habitat:
Disturbed soil, sandy areas
Grows to 30" with a single erect stem. Leaves are bright green and velvety and cut into narrow segments. Seed pods are 1" long, pointed and point upwards.
Flora of North America reference.
Blunt Tansymustard
Descurainia obtusa
Family:
Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
April 30, 2014
Location:
Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Foothills
Habitat:
Disturbed soil, sandy areas
Grows with and is similar to Herb Sophia but can be
taller, growing to 4 feet, and has grayish green leaves. See photo below. 
Seed pods are ½" long and blunt at
both ends.
Flora of North America reference.
Blunt Tansymustard & Herb Sophia
Descurainia obtusa & Descurainia sophia
Family:
Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
April 30, 2014
Location:
Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Foothills
Habitat:
Disturbed soil, sandy areas
Wild Alyssum
Alyssum simplex (A. minus)
Family:
Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
European Madwort
Photo taken on:
May 8, 2004
Location:
Taylor Canyon, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Dry slopes and disturbed soil
Grows to 10" in dense patches with tiny flowers. The whole plant is coarsely hairy. Fruits are round and 1/8" across.
Flora of North America reference.
Winter Cress
Barbarea orthoceras
Family:
Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
American Yellow Rocket
Photo taken on:
June 8, 2006
Location:
Gothic Road, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Plains to montane
Habitat:
Disturbed, wet soil
Grows to 20" with fleshy leaves grasping the stem. Leaves are edible with a horseradish-like flavor.
Flora of North America reference.
Flaxleaf Plainsmustard
Sisymbrium linifolium (Schoenocrambe linifolia)
Family:
Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Photo taken on:
May 27, 2006
Location:
Taylor Canyon, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Foothills
Habitat:
Dry slopes, woodlands and disturbed soil
Grows in dense colonies to 2 feet with almost leafless stems, a few narrow bluish-green leaves and long narrow seed pods. .
Flora of North America reference.
Alpine Yellowcress
Rorippa alpina (R. curvipes var. alpina)
Family:
Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Blunt-leaf Yellow Cress
Photo taken on:
August 26, 2007
Location:
Green Lake - Irwin, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Montane to subalpine
Habitat:
Rocky, moist areas
Spreads to 15" across the ground with fleshy, lobed leaves.
Flora of North America reference.
Bog Yellowcress
Rorippa palustris
Family:
Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Marsh Yellow Cress, Common Yellow Cress
Photo taken on:
July 24, 2021
Location:
Roaring Judy Fish Hatchery, GV, CO
Life Zones:
Foothills to subalpine
Habitat:
Moist areas,
marshes
Grows from 12" to 40" as it matures and elongates. Basal leaves are coarsely toothed and lobed with the terminal lobe much larger. Stem leaves are not lobed. Flowers are tiny, about 1/8" across, and grow in a compact cluster at the tip with the seed pods developing below. Seed pods are cylindrical about 1/3" long.
Flora of North America reference.
Wild Rocket
Diplotaxis tenuifolia
Family:
Mustard (Brassicaceae)
AKA:
Perennial Wall Rocket
Photo taken on:
September 28, 2012
Location:
Abiquiu, NM
Life Zones:
Plains to foothills
Habitat:
Waste places, disturbed areas
Grows to 2 feet high with a rosette of basal leaves. The leaves are long and narrow with deep lobes and are edible. Bright yellow flowers with four rounded petals grow in clusters at the end of light green stems. The seed pods are 1 to 2" inches long, slender and erect.
Flora of North America reference.