Gold Of Pleasure

A very variable species, often split into a number of infra specific taxa. Edible oil is extracted from its seeds.

Annual or biennial, 30-60 (-80) cm tall, branched mostly from the base, glabrous or sometimes sparsely hairy below with simple and branched hairs. Basal leaves oblong-lanceolate, 15-50 mm long, 5-10 (-15) mm broad, cuneate below, sessile, entire or irregularly toothed; upper leaves lanceolate or linear, sessile, sagittate-amplexicaul, entire or toothed. Racemes 30-70-flowered, up to 30 cm long in fruit. Flowers c. 3.5 mm across, yellow; pedicels 10-20 (-25) mm long in fruit, rigid, ascending. Sepals c. 2.5 mm long. Petals c. 5 mm long. Siliculae obovoid, 7-9 mm long, 4-5 mm broad, apex rounded; valves convex, glabrous, with a distinct mid-rib; style 1.5-2 mm long with capitate stigma; seeds 9-10 in each locule, c. 1.5 mm long, ovoid, brown.

Herbs annual, (12-)30-80(-100) cm tall, glabrous or sparsely pubescent with small branched trichomes rarely mixed with fewer simple ones. Stems simple or branched above, often glabrescent. Cauline leaves lanceolate, narrowly oblong, or linear-lanceolate, middle ones (1-)2-7(-9) cm × 2-10(-15) mm, glabrescent or sparsely pubescent with primarily forked trichomes, base sagittate or strongly auriculate, margin entire or rarely remotely denticulate, apex acute. Fruiting pedicels (0.8-)1.2-2(-2.7) cm. Sepals 2-3 × 0.5-1 mm. Petals yellow, (3-)4-5.5 × 0.5-1 mm. Filaments 1.5-3 mm; anthers ca. 0.5 mm. Fruit obpyriform or broadly obovoid, 7-9(-10) × 4-5 mm, often subtruncate at apex; valves with a distinct midvein and less prominent lateral veins; style 1-2.5 mm. Seeds dark brown, oblong (1.5-)1.7-2.5(-3) × 0.7-1 mm. Fl. May-Jun. 2n = 40*.

Distribution: Probably native of Europe, C. & S.W. Asia; widespread as weed of cultivated fields.

Nei Mongol, Xinjiang [India, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan; SW Asia, N Africa, Europe; introduced in North America].

Fl. Per.: March-May.

Farms, grassy areas, fields; 1000-1900 m.

Myagrum sativum Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 641. 1753; Camelina caucasica (Sinskaya) Vassilczenko; C. glabrata (de Candolle) Fritsch ex N. Zinger; C. pilosa (de Candolle) N. Zinger; C. sativa var. caucasica Sinskaya; C. sativa var. glabrata de Candolle; C. sativa var. pilosa de Candolle.