darren_fielder's Identifications

A very common weed in the area, growing on former cultivated land and on roadsides. Seems to prefer some moisture as it tends to follow drainage lines e.g. roadside ditches. Rather large, attractive flowers with 4 cream-beige petals which often have some faint purple veining. Flowers fade to white after a few days in strong sunlight. Silicula large and prominent, spaced evenly up the spike, each silicula around 5-9 cm long, erect to spreading on very long, thin pedicels 1-5 cm long. Capsules tightly constricted between the seeds. At maturity the siliqua fall off the spike at the slightest touch. The capsules fail to separate in two when fully ripe, instead tending to break at the constrictions, thus leaving the seeds retained inside the ribbed and bony segments.