# tower mustards (*Turritis*) Tower mustards are bright yellow flowers that grow tall and proud! They are often found in fields and gardens, bringing color to the landscape. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 3 - **Habitat:** Fields and gardens ![tower mustards](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Brassicaceae_spp_Sturm16.jpg&width=800) Photo: Johann Georg Sturm (Painter: Jacob Sturm ), Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brassicaceae_spp_Sturm16.jpg) ## Appearance The tower mustards has a distinctive tall, slender stem that can reach over a meter, often with a purplish tint near the base. It features a basal rosette of hairy leaves, with smaller, clasping stem leaves, and small, pale yellow to whitish four-petaled flowers arranged in an elongating cluster at the top. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Brassicales - **Family:** Brassicaceae - **Genus:** Turritis ## Interesting facts - Early European settlers in North America likely brought this plant with them! - Its seed pods look like tiny green swords hanging off the main stem! - The 'tower' in its name describes how it grows a single, tall, unbranched stem! - You can sometimes find its leaves covered in tiny hairs, making them feel fuzzy! ## Special abilities - **Sturdy Stalker:** Tower mustards can grow remarkably tall and straight, helping its flowers and seeds reach sunlight and disperse widely from a greater height. - **Winter Warrior:** It forms a flat rosette of leaves in its first year, storing energy to survive winter before sending up a tall flowering stalk. - **Seed Flinger:** Its long, slender seed pods mature and split open with a twist, flinging tiny seeds away to find new places to grow. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-120 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.3-0.7 cm - **Bloom Season:** Late spring to mid-summer - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Biennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** European Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Bees visit its flowers for nectar - **Eaten by:** Cabbage White Butterfly (*Pieris rapae*) — Larvae munch on its leaves - **Eaten by:** [Eastern Cottontail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-cottontail) (*Sylvilagus floridanus*) — Rabbits may graze on the 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. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [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. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always check with an adult before touching or picking any plants. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify tower mustards? 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 tower mustards? 30-120 cm ### How big are the flowers on tower mustards? 0.3-0.7 cm ### When does tower mustards bloom? Late spring to mid-summer ### Is tower mustards edible? Yes ### Is tower mustards toxic? None ### What is tower mustards's lifecycle? Biennial ### How is tower mustards pollinated? Insect ## Where to spot - [Bear Swamp](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bear-swamp) — Massachusetts, US · Nature Reserve - [Cambridge Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cambridge-historic-district) — New York, US · Historic District - [Sabine Channel Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sabine-channel-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park - [Franklin Falls Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/franklin-falls-historic-district) — New Hampshire, US · Historic District [View all places to see tower mustards](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/tower-mustards) ## 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*) --- Source: [Tower Mustards: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tower-mustards)