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wild radish
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wild radish
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Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap
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Also called:
jointed charlock
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Raphanus
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wild radish
wild radish Wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum).

wild radish

plant
Also known as: Raphanus raphanistrum, jointed charlock
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

wild radish, (Raphanus raphanistrum), widespread annual plant of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to Eurasia. Wild radish has naturalized throughout much of the world and is a noxious agricultural weed in many places. The plant is believed by some authorities to be the ancestor of the domestic radish (Raphanus sativus), and the two species readily hybridize.

Wild radish has a stout taproot, a rosette of unequally divided leaves, and very bristly flowering stalks about 60 cm (2 feet) tall. The four-petaled flowers may be yellow, lilac, white, or violet and have visible veins. The fruits, borne below the flower head, are narrowly oval, jointed siliques containing 4 to 10 seeds.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.