Descurainia incana
Mountain tansy mustard
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Family: Brassicaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Descurainia incana (Mountain tansy mustard) is a native California herb in the Brassicaceae family, recognized by erect appressed fruits and biennial habit are key.
Mountain tansy mustard is a California native biennial found in the Klamath Ranges, Sierra Nevada, San Bernardino Mountains, and Great Basin in open sites, meadows, sagebrush scrub, and aspen groves at elevations of 100 to 3,500 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces small yellow flowers with oblanceolate petals approximately 1.2 to 2 millimeters long. Growing with erect stems 2.5 to 12 decimeters tall, it develops many branches in its upper portion and appears hairy and grayish-green. Its leaves are widely lanceolate to oblanceolate, pinnately lobed with linear to oblong segments 3 to 10 millimeters long, becoming smaller and more narrow toward the stem's upper portions. The fruit develops as an erect, linear silique 5 to 10 millimeters long with smooth valves and contains 14 to 22 small ellipsoid seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 9 sympatric species; erect appressed fruits and biennial habit are key
Habitat and range
Habitat: Open sites, meadows, sagebrush scrub, open aspen groves, roadsides
Elevation: 100-3500 m
California counties: Tulare, Riverside, San Bernardino, Tuolumne, Mono, Placer, Alpine, Amador, Sierra, Nevada, Fresno, Siskiyou, Plumas, Lassen, El Dorado, Modoc, Glenn, Butte, Tehama, Mariposa, Madera, Inyo, San Diego, Trinity, Calaveras, Humboldt, Los Angeles
Outside California: to Alaska, Wyoming, New Mexico, Quebec, northeastern United States
Bloom period
Descurainia incana blooms May-Sep.
How to tell it apart
vs Sisymbrium: Descurainia has soft fuzzy many-branched hairs; Sisymbrium is smooth or has simple unbranched hairs.; vs Lepidium: Descurainia has feathery divided leaves; Lepidium has simple or less-divided leaves and round flat pods.; vs Hirschfeldia: Descurainia has finely divided feathery leaves; Hirschfeldia has lobed but not finely dissected leaves.; vs Brassica: Descurainia has finely divided lacy leaves; Brassica has lobed or simple leaves, not finely dissected.; vs Erodium: Descurainia has four petals and cylindrical pods; Erodium has five petals and long-beaked fruits.
Frequently asked questions
Is Descurainia incana native to California?
Yes. Descurainia incana is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Descurainia incana bloom?
Descurainia incana blooms May-Sep.
Where in California does Descurainia incana grow?
Descurainia incana occurs in Tulare, Riverside, San Bernardino, Tuolumne, Mono, Placer, Alpine, Amador and other counties, at elevations of 100-3500 m.
What plant family does Descurainia incana belong to?
Descurainia incana is in the Brassicaceae family, genus Descurainia.
What habitat does Descurainia incana grow in?
Descurainia incana grows in Open sites, meadows, sagebrush scrub, open aspen groves, roadsides.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.