Brassicaceae
Crambe

Crambe hispanica L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 671 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Central & E. Medit. to W. Iran. It is an annual and grows primarily in the subtropical biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Cruciferae, Bengt Jonsell (University of Stockholm). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1982

Morphology General Habit
Annual herb.
Morphology Stem
Stems erect, furrowed, (20–)40–150 cm. high, branched in upper parts, basally densely hispid, upwards with more scattered hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves densely to moderately hairy on both surfaces; lower and median leaves petiolate, lyrate-pinnate, 4–13 cm. long; terminal lobe large, ovate to acutely ovate (outside E. Africa also reniform), truncate to cordate (rarely cuneate); lateral lobes much smaller (sometimes reduced), in 1–2 pairs, elliptic, usually 0.5–2 cm. long; upper leaves sessile or shortly petiolate, simple, acutely ovate to rhombic; margins serrate to biserrate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes with numerous small white flowers, in fruit lax, usually with several side branches, sparsely hairy or glabrous, up to 40 cm. long; pedicels ascending to erect, 4–9 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals green with narrow margins, elliptic, 1.5–3 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals white, spathulate to almost clawed, with limb expanded, 2.5–5.8 mm. long, and ± half as broad.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 2–3 mm. long; anthers 0.7–0.8 mm.; filaments linear, median ones denticulate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Upper segment of ovary ellipsoid, broader than and 3–4 times as long as the lower.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Nutlet spherical, smooth, 2.2–5 mm. in diameter, with a smooth yellow-brown seed; lower fruit segment and gynophore indistinctly demarcated, together 0.7–1.5 mm. long.
Habitat
Grassland, open ground, lava-fields, various kinds of disturbed ground, sometimes a weed of cultivation; 1200–2600 m.
Distribution
K1 K3 K4 K6 T2 U2 U4 Mediterranean area and the Middle East eastwards to Iranin tropical Africa from Eritrea southwards to Tanzania, Rwanda and easternmost Zaire
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images