''Neslia'' is a monotypic plant
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
in the family
Brassicaceae. The only extant species is ''Neslia paniculata''
Neslia paniculata
''Neslia paniculata'' (commonly called ball mustard) is a plant
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
in the family
Brassicaceae. The name comes from the ball-shaped fruits that contain a single seed within an
indehiscent fruit coat.
It is an annual where the seeds germinate in autumn to winter and grow into a flattened rosette of leaves that develop vertical flowering stems in the spring. These can be up to 1 metre tall. The flowers open in late spring/early summer and the seeds are mature by summer.
It is a native plant of temperate regions of Eurasia.
It can also be found in much of the northern and southern regions of the Americas, Australia and also
Britain.
It is considered a weed in many of these regions introduced from agricultural seed and can be a problem in cereal and especially other brassica crops. Its seed pods can contaminate harvests of mustard and rape/canola, even after cleaning. At the other end of the spectrum, within some its original region it has become a threatened or rare arable plant as a consequence of improved agricultural practices.
References
Brassicaceae
Monotypic Brassicaceae genera
{{Brassicales-stub