Introductory
SPECIES: Descurainia sophia | Flixweed Tansymustard 



ABBREVIATION : 
DESSOP

SYNONYMS : 
NO-ENTRY


SCS PLANT CODE : 
NO-ENTRY


COMMON NAMES : 
   flixweed tansymustard
   flixweed
   tansymustard


TAXONOMY : 
The currently accepted scientific name of flixweed tansymustard is
Descurainia sophia (L.) Webb ex Prantl [11,12].


LIFE FORM : 
Forb

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER STATUS : 
NO-ENTRY


COMPILED BY AND DATE : 
D. Tirmenstein, December 1986.


LAST REVISED BY AND DATE : 
D. Tirmenstein, January 1988


AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION : 
NO-ENTRY

DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Descurainia sophia | Flixweed Tansymustard 



GENERAL DISTRIBUTION : 
Flixweed tansymustard is a common weed introduced from Europe.  In North
America, it occurs from Alaska south to California and east to Alberta
and the Atlantic Coast [11,12].


ECOSYSTEMS : 
   FRES20  Douglas-fir
   FRES21  Ponderosa pine
   FRES28  Western hardwoods
   FRES29  Sagebrush
   FRES35  Pinyon - juniper
   FRES36  Mountain grasslands


STATES : 
     AL  AK  AZ  AR  CA  CO  CT  DE  FL  GA
     ID  IL  IN  IA  KS  KY  LA  ME  MD  MA
     MI  MN  MS  MO  MT  NE  NV  NH  NJ  NM
     NY  NC  ND  OH  OK  OR  PA  RI  SC  SD
     TN  TX  UT  VT  VA  WA  WV  WI  WY  AB
     BC  YT


ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS : 
     AGFO  ARCH  BADL  BIHO  BIHO  BICA
     BRCA  CABR  CACH  CANY  CARE  CHIR
     COLM  CODA  CRMO  DEVA  DINO  FLFO
     FOBO  FOBU  GLAC  GLCA  GRCA  GRTE
     GRKO  GUMO  LAME  LAMR  LABE  MEVE
     MOCA  MORA  PEFO  ROMO  SAGU  SAMO
     SCBL  THRO  WICA  YELL  ZION


BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS : 
    1  Northern Pacific Border
    2  Cascade Mountains
    3  Southern Pacific Border
    4  Sierra Mountains
    5  Columbia Plateau
    6  Upper Basin and Range
    7  Lower Basin and Range
    8  Northern Rocky Mountains
    9  Middle Rocky Mountains
   10  Wyoming Basin
   11  Southern Rocky Mountains
   12  Colorado Plateau
   13  Rocky Mountain Piedmont
   14  Great Plains
   15  Black Hills Uplift
   16  Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands


KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY


SAF COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES : 
NO-ENTRY


HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES : 
Flixweed tansymustard is a widespread exotic.  It occurs in a wide range
of habitat types including pinyon-juniper, sagebrush-grass, and dry
conifer communities [1,3].

VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Descurainia sophia | Flixweed Tansymustard 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 



IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Flixweed tansymustard is not a preferred forage species for domestic
livestock or big game species.  It is low in palatability for most
livestock.  Because of its abundance, however, flixweed tansymustard
provides large amounts of forage on some severely overgrazed ranges
[21].  


PALATABILITY : 
Flixweed tansymustard is fair in palatability for sheep and goats, and
poor for cattle [21].


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
Energy and protein values of most species of tansymustard are poor [4].


COVER VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
NO-ENTRY


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Prior to the nineteenth century flixweed tansymustard was used for
healing wounds and calming victims of hysteria [21].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Descurainia sophia | Flixweed Tansymustard 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Flixweed tansymustard is an introduced, cool-season, annual (or
biennial) herb [10,11].  It grows from 12 to 39 inches (30-100 cm) in
height.  Flowers grow in racemes which lengthen when in fruit; they may
grow up to one half the the total height of the plant.  Seeds are born
in linear pods or siliques which grow to 0.8-1.2 inches (2-3 cm) in
length and 0.04-0.06 inch (1-1.5 mm) in width [11].  The siliques are
divided into two cells with one or two rows of seed in each [21].  They
rupture when mature and disperse 15 to 25 uniserate seeds approximately
0.04 inch (1 mm) in length [11,21].  Flixweed tansymustard has a
slender, annual taproot [21].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Therophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Flixweed tansymustard regenerates by producing an abundance of minute
seed [21].  Seeds are mucilaginous when wet, which may facilitate
dispersal by animals or increase adherence to soil particles [12].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Flixweed tansymustard occurs on a wide variety of soil types.  It is
most abundant on dry, disturbed sites.  It is often found along
roadsides and ditches where mineral soil has been exposed [21].  It also
grows in open fields and along streambanks [5,21].  In southwestern
Utah, flixweed tansymustard is common in seepage areas and in flood
plain valleys at the ends of major washes [10].  Elevational ranges are
as follows [4]:

               3,500-10,800 ft (1,068-3,294m) in CO
               3,200-3,900 ft (976-1,190m) in MT
               2,500-8,600 ft (763-2,623m) in UT
               4,000-7,800 ft (1,220-2,379m) in WY


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Obligate Initial Community Species

Flixweed tansymustard is an early seral species which quickly invades
areas of exposed mineral soil with reduced plant cover [21].  It can
survive in dense stands for a few years if undisturbed, but is generally
replaced by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) or other species.  If the
flixweed tansymustard stand is trampled by livestock or severely
disturbed through other means, replacement by Russian thistle (Salsola
kali) is common [26].  In later seral stages flixweed tansymustard
competes poorly with perennial grasses and forbs.  


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Flixweed tansymustard is an early-blooming winter annual or biennial
[10].  Flowering occurs from March through July depending on geographic
location [11]. The earliest reported blooming date in North Dakota is
June 10th, although the average earliest blooming date is July 30th [9].
Flowering occurs from May to June in western Utah [10].  Seeds are
dispersed from early to late summer [23].  Flixweed tansymustard
typically reaches 100 percent of the total annual growth by the end of
June in North Dakota [9].

FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Descurainia sophia | Flixweed Tansymustard 



FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS : 
Flixweed tansymustard is readily killed by fire.  It quickly reoccupies
a site by wind-dispersed seed following fire.  It is an important
constituent of early seres on burned juniper woodlands [6].  On many
sagebrush-grassland ranges, flixweed tansymustard dominates a distinct
successional stage in the following sequence [15]:
 
                  1)  Russian thistle  
                  2)  flixweed tansymustard     
                  3)  tumble mustard (Sisymbrium altissimum)
                  4)  cheatgrass                   


POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY : 
   Initial-offsite colonizer (off-site, initial community)

FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Descurainia sophia | Flixweed Tansymustard 



IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT : 
Flixweed tansymustard is readily killed by fire at most times of the
year.  It is not affected by fall burning [25].  


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT : 



PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE : 
Flixweed tansymustard produces seed in abundance.  It quickly invades a
burn by wind-dispersed seed.  Seedlings grow well on exposed mineral
soil [21].  Flixweed tansymustard is an important species in early seres
of burned pinyon-juniper woodlands and sagebrush-grassland communities
[6,24].  In a Utah study, flixweed tansymustard was one of the most
abundant annual forbs during early succession on recent burns [1].


DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE : 
Flixweed tansymustard typically increases in relative abundance after a
fire.  In a Utah study of pinyon-juniper communities, it was present in
burns of various ages, but was a dominant forb only during the first
stages of succession [1].  In burned sagebrush-grassland ranges of
southern Idaho, flixweed tansymustard occupies a second distinct
successional stage as follows [15]:

     Years after burn       Dominant species

          1, 2              Russian thistle          
          3, 4              flixweed tansymustard and tumblemustard
          5 +               cheatgrass


FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
NO-ENTRY

REFERENCES
SPECIES: Descurainia sophia | Flixweed Tansymustard 



REFERENCES : 

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 .  Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
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Related categories for Species: Descurainia sophia | Flixweed Tansymustard