# Hairy Rocket (*Erucastrum gallicum*)

The Hairy Rocket is a fun plant with fuzzy leaves and pretty yellow flowers! It grows in many places and is loved by bees and butterflies.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Grasslands

![Hairy Rocket](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/321285098/medium.jpg)

Photo: Dmitriy Bochkov, CC BY 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/321285098)

## Appearance

The Hairy Rocket is a slender plant with bright yellow, four-petaled flowers clustered at the top of its stems. Its distinctive deeply lobed leaves are covered in fine, bristly hairs, giving it a fuzzy appearance. It often stands upright, displaying its small, vibrant blossoms.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Brassicales
- **Family:** Brassicaceae
- **Genus:** Erucastrum

## Interesting facts

- Hairy Rocket seeds can stay alive in soil for many years!
- It belongs to the same family as broccoli and mustard.
- Its spicy leaves add a peppery kick to salads, like arugula!
- This plant arrived in North America hidden in ship ballast.

## Special abilities

- **Hairy Shield:** Hairy Rocket has tiny bristles on its leaves that act like a shield, making it less tasty for some hungry insects trying to munch on it!
- **Seed Scatterer:** Hairy Rocket can launch its seeds from long, slender pods that burst open, spreading future plants far and wide for new growth!
- **Quick Sprouter:** Hairy Rocket can sprout quickly in disturbed soil, allowing it to colonize bare ground rapidly and outcompete slower plants.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 20-80 cm
- **Spread:** 10-30 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring to fall
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — visits its yellow flowers for nectar and pollen
- **Eaten by:** Cabbage White Butterfly (*Pieris rapae*) — its larvae feed on the Hairy Rocket's leaves
- **Eaten by:** Crucifer Flea Beetle (*Phyllotreta cruciferae*) — adult beetles chew small holes in its foliage

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Biennial](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/biennial): Biennial plants complete their life cycle over two growing seasons, typically forming foliage in the first year and flowering/seeding in the second.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always check with an adult before touching or picking plants.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Hairy Rocket?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Hairy Rocket?

20-80 cm

### How wide does Hairy Rocket spread?

10-30 cm

### How big are the flowers on Hairy Rocket?

0.5-1 cm

### When does Hairy Rocket bloom?

Spring to fall

### Is Hairy Rocket edible?

Yes

### Is Hairy Rocket toxic?

None

### What is Hairy Rocket's lifecycle?

Annual

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Hairy Rocket: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/hairy-rocket)