Myagrum perfoliatumL. - Bird's eye-cress
Scientific Description:
Annual, 20−60 cm, branching above the middle into a loose inflorescence with rather stiff branches. Leaves entire, oblong or oblanceolate, amplexicaul, auriculate, rounded or acute at apex. Petals 4−5 mm. Fruiting pedicel 3−5 × 2 mm. Fruit 6−8 × 5 mm, 3-celled; the upper two -the 'shoulders' of the fruit-empty (air pockets between the mesocarp and exocarp), the lower containing the one (rarely two) seed(s).
Flowering time: April−June.
Habitat: Roadsides and cultivated land, s.l.−1000 m.
Reference:
Hedge IC (1965). Myagrum perfoliatum L., In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 1: 348.
Public Description:
Myagrum perfoliatum, commonly known as “Bird's eye-cress”, is naturally distributed in Central and Southern Europe, Turkey, Western Syria, Caucasus, Northern Iraq and Iran. Only one species is found in the world. It is an annual herbaceous plant with a bluish-green stem, hairless, yellow or pale creamy flowering. It can be seen in flower on roadsides and cultivated land between April and June. Myagrum perfoliatum is considered a serious weed in fields where broad-leaved plants such as chickpeas, canola, beans, peas and lentils are cultivated. By competing with agricultural crops, it can reduce crop yield by up to 50%.
References:
Anonymous 1 (2015). http://texasinvasives.org/plant_database/detail.php?symbol=MYPE, Accessed date: 28.12.2015.
Mutlu B (2012). Myagrum L., In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 289.