Brassica Brassica, (Willd.) DC.

21. B. repanda (Willd.) DC. , Reg. Veg. Syst. Nat. 2: 598 (1821)

( Diplotaxis saxatilis DC. ).

Laxly to densely caespitose; stems up to 50 cm, usually leafless, glabrous or hairy. Basal leaves 1-15 cm, entire to pinnatipartite. Racemes 2- to 35- flowered. Petals 7-30 mm, yellow. Siliqua 10-80 x 1-4-5 mm, variable in shape and proportions, gradually or abruptly attenuate into a seedless beak. Usually in rocky or stony places. S. W. Europe. Ga Hs It.

A very complex species which may be divided into three main groups, subsp. repanda (S.W. Alps, Italy), subsp. saxatilis (S. France) and a series of subspecies in Spain, S. France and N. Africa. A key is given below to the more important geographical variants, but anomalous populations occur in the Pyrenees and neighbouring regions and a number of taxa remain to be adequately characterized and described.

1 Petals15-25mm

2 Petalscuneate;apextruncate;leavesglaucous,fleshy(S.E.

Spain) (d) subsp. maritima 2 Petals obovate; apex rounded; leaves green, membranous

(Pyrenees) (c) subsp. galissieri 1 Petals14 mm orless

3 Siliqua 1 -2 mm wide

4 Plants laxly caespitose, with the stock ± unbranched; leaves pinnatipartite, with oblong segments (low hills in C. Spain)

(j) subsp. nudicaulis 4 Plants densely caespitose with woody, branched stock; leaves sinuate-dentate to pinnatifid (mountains of S. and

S.E. Spain) (e) subsp. confusa 3 Siliqua 2-5-4-5mmwide

5 Racemes 2- to 8(-12)-flowered; siliqua 20-30(-60) x 3-

3 -5 mm, abruptly contracted into the beak; leaves sinuate-dentate (France, Italy) (a) subsp. repanda 5 Racemes with 12-35 flowers, or, if fewer-flowered, siliqua less than 3 mm wide; siliqua 25-80 x 2-4-5 mm, gradually attenuate into the beak

6 Siliqua not more than 2-5 mm wide (S. France)

(b) subsp. saxatilis 6 Siliqua at least 2- 5 mm wide

7 Leaves 2—5(—6) cm long, entire or slightly toothed, or, if pinnatipartite, 1- 5—2 cm (S. Spain) (i) subsp. latisiliqua 7 Leaves 4-5-10 cm, sinuately lobed, pinnatifid to pinnatipartite

8 Leaves 4-5-8 cm, deeply pinnatipartite, the lobes rounded,

denticulate; siliqua 50x 3-4 mm (N.W. Spain)

(f) subsp. cantabrica 8 Leaves 6-10 cm, sinuate-lobed to pinnatifid with the lobes

entire 9 Siliqua 40-60 x 3-5-4 mm, pendent (N.E. Spain)

(g) subsp. cadevallii 9 Siliqua 50-80 x 2-5-3 mm, patent or ascending (S. Spain)

(h) subsp. blancoana