Image to followAI-generated illustrationDescurainia sophia
Descurainia sophia
FamilyGenus: Descurainianative in Germany
🌿
14
Species
interact
🔗
17
Interactions
documented
🐛
8
Host relationships
Species
About this species
An archaeophyte of open, sunny habitats, this herbaceous plant grows to 40 cm, flowers from late spring to early autumn, and bears very light seeds.
Ecological network
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PollinationLarval hostFlower visit
Ecological significance
As a long-established archaeophyte, it is a component of open, sunny habitats. No negative ecological impacts are recorded in the available source data.
Annual cycle
Flowers appear between May and September.
Safety note
The source data contain no information on toxicity or other safety risks.
Standort & Merkmale
Light
Sonne
Moisture
Trocken
Soil
Mittelzehrer (Normaler Boden)
Flowering period
Mai – Sep
Soil reaction
Basisch / Kalkhold
Bioregion
Continental
Growth form
Krautige Pflanze
Woodiness
Nicht verholzt
Leaf type
Breitblättrig
Plant height
0.403 m
Morphological traits: TRY ID3 (CC BY 3.0) & TRY ID81 (CC BY)
Pflege & Anbau
To cultivate Descurainia sophia, provide a position in full sun with well-drained soil. It copes well with dry conditions and grows best on a moderately fertile, alkaline substrate.
Scientific profile
Descurainia sophia is an archaeophyte in Great Britain. A member of the cabbage family (Brassicaceae), it is a herbaceous, non-woody plant with broad leaves. Specimens typically reach about 40 centimetres in height, and the seeds are minute, weighing roughly 0.11 milligrams each. Flowering takes place from May to September. The species favours full sun and is often found on dry, moderately fertile, calcareous soils in open situations. It tolerates low levels of disturbance but shows no tolerance of saline conditions. Across its European range, it has spread as a seed contaminant.
Host relationships
8 species use this plant as a host
Xanthorhoe fluctuataEpirrhoe alternataTyria jacobaeaeHeliothis viriplacaAnarta trifoliiXestia c-nigrumAutographa gammaEupithecia subumbrata
Other flower visitors
3 other species visit the flowers
Sources & data origin
•Cook et al. (2025) UK Butterfly & Moth Traits (DOI: 10.5285/dbc7cc17-cbbd-49dd-bab4-8e8855768d66)
•Interaktionsdaten via GloBI (CC-BY 4.0)
•pollinator_interactions
•FloraWeb / BfN
•EIVE 1.0 — Dengler et al. (2023), DOI: 10.3897/VCS.98324 (CC BY 4.0)
•GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — GBIF Secretariat (2024), DOI: 10.15468/39omei (CC BY 4.0)
•TRY Categorical Traits (ID3) — Kattge et al. (2012), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.3 (CC BY 3.0)
•TRY Global Spectrum (ID81) — Díaz et al. (2016/2021), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.81 (CC BY)
•Govaerts R et al. (2025) — World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) v14. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. DOI: 10.34885/xs7h-ze42 (CC BY 4.0)
All data is licensed under CC BY 4.0, CC0, or compatible terms. Attribution according to license conditions. Full source overview →