ALLIARIA Heister ex Fabricius, Enum. Meth. Pl. 161. 1759.

Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz

Tribe: Thlaspideae de Candolle, Mém. Mus. Hist. Nat. 7(1): 234. 1821.

Name derivation: Latin Allium, garlic or onion, referring to the odor of crushed plant.

Type species: Alliaria petiolata (Bieberstein) Cavara & Grande (based on Arabis petiolata Bieberstein).

Synonym: Raphanolobus Ruprecht, Mem. Acad. Sci. St. Petersbourg 7: 85. 1869. Type species: xxxx

     Herbs annual or biennial. Trichomes absent or simple. Multicellular glands absent. Stems erect to ascending, sometimes decumbent, simple or branched basally and/or apically. Basal leaves long petiolate, rosulate, simple, creanate, dentate, to sinuate; cauline leaves petiolate, dentate, not auriculate at base. Racemes several flowered, ebracteate or bracteate basally or throughout, corymbose, elongated considerably in fruit; rachis straight; fruiting pedicels thickened, narrower than to as thick as fruit, divaricate to ascending, persistent. Sepals oblong, free, deciduous, erect, glabrous, equal, base of inner pair not saccate, margin not membranous. Petals white, erect at base with flaring blade, longer than sepals; blade oblanceolate, apex obtuse, margin entire; claw obscurely differentiated from blade, glabrous, entire, unappendaged. Stamens 6, included, erect, slightly tetradynamous; filaments filiform, wingless, unappendaged, not dilated at base, glabrous, free; anthers ovate to oblong, not apiculate at apex. Nectar glands 1, confluent and subtending bases of all stamens. Ovules 4-20 per ovary; placentation parietal. Fruit dehiscent, capsular siliques, linear to oblong, terete or 4-angled, not inflated, unsegmented; valves thin leathery, with a prominent midvein and 2 distinct lateral veins, glabrous or scabrous, not keeled, torulose, wingless, unappendaged; gynophore absent; re, visibleplum rounded; septum complete, membranous, veinless; style obsolete or distinct and to 6 mm, stout or slender, cylindric, persistent, glabrous; stigma capitate, entire, unappendaged. Seeds uniseriate, wingless, oblong, plump; seed coat longitudinally striate, not mucilaginous when wetted; cotyledons incumbent. n  = 21.

     Two species. Eurasia.

Reference: Cavers et al. (1979).

1. Racemes ebracteate or only lowermost flowers bracteate; fruiting pedicels nearly

     as thick as fruit; fruit (2)3-7(-8) cm, 10- or more seeded; style in fruit

     (0.2-)1-2(-3) mm              ...................................................................................  1. A. petiolata

1. Racemes bracteate throughout or nearly so; fruiting pedicels narrower than fruit;

     fruit 0.6-1.8(-3) cm, rarely to 6-seeded; style in fruit 2.5-6 mm .......................  2. A. brachycarpa