Descurainia sophia (L.) Sm., Brassicaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  yes

Other Latin names:  Sisymbrium sophia L.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: bo niang hao

English: flaxweed tansy mustard, flixweed, flixweed tansymustard, herb Sophia, pinnate tansymustard, tansy mustard

French: sagesse des chirurgiens, sisymbre sagesse, sisymbre sophia

Japanese: kujira-gusa

Korean: jaessug

Spanish: jacamago, serifio absintio, sofia de cirujanos

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Annual herbs, subglabrous to sparsely pubescent, but not glandular pubescent; stems 2-8 dm long, single from the base, branched above.  Basal leaves usually quickly deciduous, 2-3 times pinnately compound, the segments sometimes toothed; cauline leaves similar, thesegments usually linear, sometimes elliptic to obovate.  Flowers in elongated, loose racemes, fruiting pedicels 7-15 mm long; sepals erect, narrowly elliptic to linear; petals yellowish green.  Siliques terete, usually torulose and curved, occasionally straight, 21-3 cm long.  Seeds in 1 row per cell, oblong-ellipsoid, 0.8-1.5 mm long"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 405).

Habitat/ecology:  "Flixweed tansymustard occurs in open-canopy, disturbed sites. It is particularly common in washes and on roadsides, railroad rights-of-way, waste grounds, old fields, and early seral burns. It grows in a variety of mineral soils including loam, silty clay, and sand, where it is most common. It tolerates dry soil, but is not salt tolerant"  (Fire Effects Information System).  "Roadsides, waste places, disturbed sites, railroad embankments, hillsides, mountain slopes, canyon bottoms, stream banks, fields, lawns, pastures, deserts, sagebrush and pinyon-juniper communities; 0-3000 m"  (Flora of North America online).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  North Africa and Eurasia; cultivated and naturalized elsewhere (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 405) Voucher cited: Kawasaki 8 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 405)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	New South Wales	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Australia Australia (continental)	Australia (continental)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) South Australia Naturalized
British Columbia (province of Canada) Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) "Roadsides, waste places, disturbed sites, fields, pastures, deserts; near sea level to 4200 m".
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu Naturalized
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 183)
North Korea North Korea	North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 420) "Waste places, stock yards, railway yards".
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013) Naturalized
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Canada Canada	Canada	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Descurainia sophia, please let us know.