Relatives
Crambe tataria Sebeok. - Tatarian Sea-kale.
Taxonomic position.
Family Brassicaceae Burnett, genus Crambe L.Morphology and biology.
Perenial glaucous-green plant 60-100 cm tall with long many-headed root. Stems straight or ascending, branched from the very base. Radical leaves large, up to 30 cm long and 20 cm wide, petiolate, twice pinnately dissected with oblong or linear-oblong largely dentate or incised lobes, initially rigidly hairy, later glabrous. Petioles 2 times shorter than leaf blades. Entire uppermost leaves lanceolate. Flowered white, aggregated in corymb-like racemes, at fruit extending 4-6 cm and arranged on numerous upper ramifications of stem to form a paniculate inflorescence up to 30 cm wide. Pedicels 2-4 mm long. Petals 4-5 mm long, orbicular, slightly cordate at base, continuing into a short unguis. Sepals glabrous, 2 times shorter than petals. Siliculae subglobose, glabrous, 4-5 mm diameter, transversely wrinkled, with 4 longitudinal small ribs. Seeds globose, 2.5-3 mm diameter. Flowers in May - June, fruits in July - August.Distribution.
General distribution: Europe, Caucasus. Former USSR: European part, Caucasus, West Siberia (Russkaya Polyana district of Omsk Region . alien in fields).Ecology.
In steppes, on chalk outcrops, stony slopes, in forest glades, light oak forests. Occurs solitarily.Use and economic value.
Forage. Melliferous.References:
Geideman TS. 1975. Manual of higher plants of Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic. Kishinev: Shtiintsa. 574 p. (In Russian). p.225.Gubanov IA., Kiseleva KV., Novikov VS., Tikhomirov VN. 2003. Illustrated Manual of the Middle Russia Plants. V.2. Moscow: KMK. P.501. (In Russian).
Grossheim AA. 1950. Flora of Caucasus. 2nd ed. V.4. P.175-176. (In Russian).
Mayevsky PF. 2006. Flora of the middle zone of European part of Russia. 10th ed. Moscow. 600 p. (In Russian).
Fedorov AA., ed. 1979. Flora of the European part of the USSR. V.4. Leningrad: Nauka. P.51. (In Russian).
Busch NA., ed. 1939. Flora URSS. V.8. P.484. (In Russian).
Cherepanov SK. 1995. Vascular plants of Russia and adjacent states (the former USSR). St.Petersburg. 990 p. (In Russian).