Weeds
Camelina microcarpa Andrz. - Littlepod false flax.
Taxonomy.
Family Brassicaceae Burnett (Cruciferae Juss.), Genus Camelina Crantz.Biology type.
Winter annual weed.Morphology and biology.
Plant is 40-100 cm in height. Stem is branched, densely leafy, together with leaves it is gray because of short branched hairs which are mixed with plain hairs. Leaves are sessile, sagittate near the base, oblong-lanceolate or oblong, with long auricles. Flowers are small, in long racemes, petals are yellowish. Fruits are numerous, pear-shaped-elongated, its walls are glabrous, with narrow wing along the edge. It flowers from June until August. Seeds germinate better at depth of 1-3 cm. Minimum temperature for seed germination is 3-4°C, optimum- 18-28°C.Geographical range.
It is mainly a steppe species. Found south of the European part of the Former Soviet Union, Crimea, Caucasus, Western and Eastern Siberia. General distribution: Northern Europe (except remote areas), Mediterranean, Asia Minor, Iran, Northern Africa, as adventitious plant in North America.Ecology.
Anthropochore, autochore. This plant is undemanding, grows well on light, sandy and loamy-sandy soils, does not withstand soil compression and shading. It over-winters at rosette stage.Economic value.
This weed mainly infests winter rye and wheat but might be found in spring cereals as well, and also in sod fields, fallows and boundary strips. As a ruderal plant it occurs in steppes, along slopes and riversides. It is used as a bee plant and oil plant. Control measures: autumn plowing, shallow plowing, thorough cleaning of crop seeds.Reference citations.
Fomina Z.V. 1962. Weed plants of Buryatia and their control measures. Ulan-Ude: Buryatskoye knizhnoye izdatelstvo. 21-23 p. (In Russian)Keller B.A., ed. 1934. Weed plants of the USSR. Leningrad: AN SSSR. V. 3: 79-80. (In Russian)
Kolmakov P.P., Taskaeva A.G. 1985. Weed plants of Ural and their control measures. Chelyabinsk: uzhno-Uralskoye knizhnoye izdatelstvo. 19 p. (In Russian)
Komarov V.L, Bush N.A., eds. 1939. Flora of the USSR. Moscow-Leningrad: AN SSSR. 599-600 pp. (In Russian)