Cakile lanceolata (Willd.) O.E.Schulz
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Authority
Acevedo-Rodríguez, Pedro & collaborators. 1996. Flora of St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 78: 1-581.
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Family
Brassicaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Erect to decumbent herb, to 50 cm tall, many-branched from a woody taprooted base, glabrous. Leaf blades 3-10 x 1-3 cm, oblanceolate, fleshy, glabrous, the apex acute, the base tapering, the margins serrate to sinuate; petioles 0.4-1 cm long. Flowers in terminal racemes; sepals oblong, 2.8-3.3 mm long; petals 6-8 mm long, white, spatulate; stamens 6, two shorter, the anthers lanceolate; nectary glands rounded; ovary fusiform, the stigma capitate. Fruit turning from green to straw-colored when dry, fusiform, 2.5-3 cm long, the lower segment ca. 5 mm long.
Distribution and Ecology - Common along sandy beaches or in disturbed coastal areas. Chocolate Hole (A780), Dittlif Point (A3969), trail to Salt Pond (A2047). Also on St. Croix, St. Thomas, Tortola, and Virgin Gorda; widespread throughout the Caribbean basin.