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The Annual bastard-cabbage (Rapistrum rugosum) belongs to Brassiaceae (the Mustard family). It is an annual or biennial herb that is native to the coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea. Now a days, this herb is naturalized in worldwide temperate areas. It occurs in roadsides, streambanks or waste places and can reach 30-150 cm in height. The basal leaves are divided into segments pinnately, and cauline leaves are oblong with coarse teeth. The small, yellow flowers on the clusters are borne from early spring into summer. The fruits are silique (2-segmented seed capsule). The Japanese name is a reference to the fact that naturalization was confirmed in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture, in the early Showa period (1926-1989).
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