thale cress

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Thalius' cress
• mouse-ear cress
• thale cress
• wall cress
• common wall cress
• mouse-ear-cress

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Nasturtium thaliana
• Pilosella thaliana
• Stenophragma thalianum
• Sisymbrium pumilio
• Sisymbrium thalianum
• Conringia thaliana
• Erysimum thalianum
• Sisymbrium thalianum var. pusillum
• Stenophragma thalianum var. pusilla
• Hesperis thaliana
• Arabidopsis thaliana var. burnatii
• Arabis thaliana var. vulgaris
• Arabis pubicalyx
• Arabis pubicalyx var. soyensis
• Arabis parviflora
• Arabis zeyheriana
• Arabidopsis thaliana var. apetala
• Arabidopsis thaliana var. brachycarpa
• Erysimum pubicalyx
• Arabidopsis thaliana var. pusilla
• Arabis thaliana var. pubicalyx
• Crucifera thaliana
• Arabis ramosa
• Conringia thaliana var. arvicola
• Stenophragma thalianum var. burnatii
• Phryne gesneri

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Brassicales and family Brassicaceae, it is classified under the genus Arabidopsis.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant, Arabidopsis thaliana, is found across several distinct regions in Northern Europe. Specifically, its presence is documented within the borders of Denmark. It can also be located throughout the various landscapes of Finland. Furthermore, the species is widely distributed across Great Britain and Ireland. Finally, its geographical range extends into the territories of Norway.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Arabidopsis thaliana is characterized by its remarkable adaptability across diverse and often challenging landscapes. It thrives in a wide variety of habitats, ranging from disturbed environments such as crop fields and old fields to more rugged terrains including mountains, steppes, and stony places, and it even demonstrates tolerance for saline places. This environmental flexibility is reflected in its extensive altitudinal distribution; the species can be found at sea level, with a mean elevation of approximately 1500 m AMSL, and it reaches a maximum elevation of 2900 m AMSL.

Elevational range max:

2900 m AMSL

Elevational range mean:

1500 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

crop fields, mountains, old fields, saline places, steppe, stony places

Life history

The life history of Arabidopsis thaliana is characterized by an annual lifecycle, meaning it completes its entire developmental process from germination to seed production within a single growing season. As a therophyte, the plant survives unfavorable environmental conditions by completing its life cycle rapidly and persisting primarily through the dispersal of seeds rather than through overwintering vegetative structures. While its vegetative components are transient, the species exhibits evergreen characteristics in its physiological state during its active growing period, maintaining metabolic activity throughout its short duration. This rapid progression through the developmental stages is a core component of its survival strategy, allowing it to thrive in diverse ecological niches by prioritizing swift reproduction.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

therophyte

Lifecycle :

annual

Morphology

The morphology of Arabidopsis thaliana is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb and specifically a forb. It is a terrestrial plant that functions as an independent organism rather than a parasite or epiphyte. The plant exhibits a self-supporting climbing habit, meaning it does not require external structures for support, and its shoots maintain an erect orientation. In terms of stature, the plant is relatively small, with a height that varies from a minimum of 0.01 m to a maximum of 0.7 m, maintaining an average plant height of approximately 0.229 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

forb

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

0.7 m

Plant height mean:

0.229333333333333 m

Plant height min:

0.01 m

Shoot orientation :

erect

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Arabidopsis thaliana is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway and a non-carnivorous nutritional strategy. Its leaf morphology is predominantly elliptic in form, with morphological dimensions exhibiting significant variability; the leaf length typically averages 1 cm, ranging from a minimum of 0.5 cm to a maximum of 5 cm, while the leaf width averages 0.7 cm, spanning from a minimum of 0.1 cm to a maximum of 1.5 cm. This results in a mean leaf size of 2.81 cm². Furthermore, the plant exhibits a mean Specific Leaf Area (SLA) of 329 cm²/g, reflecting its internal leaf structure and resource allocation strategies.

Carnivory :

non-carnivorous

Leaf form :

elliptic

Leaf length max:

5 cm

Leaf length mean:

1 cm

Leaf length min:

0.5 cm

Leaf size mean:

2.81 cm²

Leaf width max:

1.5 cm

Leaf width mean:

0.7 cm

Leaf width min:

0.1 cm

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Specific Leaf Area (SLA) mean:

329 cm²/g

Reproduction

Reproduction in Arabidopsis thaliana is characterized by a primarily sexual process, as the plant is bisexual and lacks asexual reproduction. The flowering period typically begins in April and concludes in June. During this stage, the plant produces white flowers that measure between 0.2 cm and 0.3 cm in length. Pollination is a biotic process mediated by insects, facilitating the reproductive cycle. Once fertilized, the plant develops dry, capsule-type fruits. These fruits exhibit significant morphological variation, with a mean length of 1.25 cm (ranging from 0.5 cm to 2 cm) and a mean width of 0.1 cm (ranging from 0.05 cm to 0.1 cm). Self-fertilization is present within the species, ensuring reproductive success. Each fruit is highly prolific, containing between 101 and 1000 seeds. The seeds are minute, with a mean length of 0.5 mm, a mean volume of 0.016 mm³, and a mean mass of approximately 3.126e-05 g (ranging from 1e-05 g to 1e-04 g). Following maturation, the seeds are dispersed via an anemochorous syndrome, utilizing wind to distribute the next generation.

Dispersal syndrome :

anemochorous

Flower colour :

white

Flower length max:

0.3 cm

Flower length min:

0.2 cm

Flowering time :

Apr

Flowering time :

Jun

Fruit dryness :

dry

Fruit length max:

2 cm

Fruit length mean:

1.25 cm

Fruit length min:

0.5 cm

Fruit type :

capsule

Fruit width max:

0.1 cm

Fruit width min:

0.05 cm

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Reproduction asexual :

absent

Reproduction sexual :

bisexual

Seed length mean:

0.5 mm

Seed mass max:

1e-04 g

Seed mass mean:

3.126e-05 g

Seed mass min:

1e-05 g

Seed volume max:

0.016 mm³

Seeds_per_fruit :

101-1000

Self fertilization :

present

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Arabidopsis thaliana has 204 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include auxin, ABSCISIC ACID, Flavonoids, salicylic acid, sucrose.

auxin

1. Plant science : an international journal of experimental plant biology
2. Ecotoxicology and environmental safety
3. Trends in plant science
4. Plant & cell physiology
5. Journal of hazardous materials

ABSCISIC ACID

1. Pflugers Archiv : European journal of physiology
2. International journal of molecular sciences
3. Journal of integrative plant biology
4. Plant physiology
5. Plant, cell & environment

Flavonoids

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
2. BMC research notes
3. Scientific reports
4. Transgenic research
5. Protoplasma

salicylic acid

1. The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology
2. PloS one
3. The New phytologist
4. Molecular plant pathology
5. Plant physiology

sucrose

1. Plant science : an international journal of experimental plant biology
2. Frontiers in plant science
3. PLoS genetics
4. Cell reports
5. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

ABA

1. Plant science : an international journal of experimental plant biology
2. Biochemical and biophysical research communications
3. International journal of molecular sciences
4. Molecular plant
5. Frontiers in plant science

ANTHOCYANIN

1. Planta
2. Frontiers in plant science
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Journal of experimental botany
5. Journal of integrative plant biology

ETHYLENE

1. Plant physiology
2. Plant, cell & environment
3. Biochemical and biophysical research communications
4. International journal of molecular sciences
5. The Plant cell

glucose

1. Frontiers in plant science
2. PLoS genetics
3. Cell reports
4. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
5. Plant physiology

Cytokinin

1. Molecular plant
2. Plant physiology
3. Plant & cell physiology
4. Plant, cell & environment

Activities

Arabidopsis thaliana has 2 reported activities identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antifungal, Antioxidant.

Antifungal

1. Biochemical and biophysical research communications

Antioxidant

1. Plant, cell & environment

Medicinal Uses

Arabidopsis thaliana has 31 reported medicinal uses identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include salt stress, drought, drought tolerance, oxidative stress, abiotic stresses.

Most Reported Uses