Capsella (plant)
| Capsella | |
|---|---|
| Shepherd's purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Brassicaceae |
| Genus: | Capsella Medik. |
Capsella is a genus of herbaceous plant and biennial plants in the family Brassicaceae. It is a close relative of Arabidopsis, Neslia, and Halimolobos.
Some authors circumscribe Capsella to contain only three species: Capsella bursa-pastoris, Capsella rubella and Capsella grandiflora. As of 2020, Kew's Plants of the World Online list eight species.
Capsella rubella is a self-fertilizing species that became self-compatible 50,000 to 100,000 years ago. Its outcrossing progenitor was Capsella grandiflora. In general, the shift from outcrossing to self-fertilization is among the most common transitions in flowering plants. Capsella rubella is studied as a model for understanding the evolution of self-fertilization.
The name is said to derive from Latin capsa, a box or case, alluding to fruit resembling a medieval wallet or purse; the suffix -ella denotes "lesser".