''Capsella grandiflora'' is a species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

in the

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older but equally valid) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important Family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous pla ...

family. It is referred to by the common name grand shepherd's-purse and is a close relative of ''

Arabidopsis thaliana ''Arabidopsis thaliana'', the thale cress, mouse-ear cress or arabidopsis, is a small plant from the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to Eurasia and Africa. Commonly found along the shoulders of roads and in disturbed land, it is generally ...

''. It is predicted together with ''

Capsella orientalis ''Capsella orientalis'' is a plant species described by Mikhail Vasilevich Klokov. ''Capsella orientalis'' is a part of the genus '' Capsella'', and the family Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older but equally valid) Cruciferae () is a m ...

'' to be the surviving progenitor of ''

Capsella bursa-pastoris ''Capsella bursa-pastoris'', known as shepherd's purse or lady's purse because of its triangular flat fruits, which are purse-like, is a small annual and ruderal flowering plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). Scientists have referred to ...

''. The main signature of this plant compared to other ''Capsella'' species is its wide flower petals. Together with ''Capsella rubella'', this plant is used as a

model plant A model organism is a non-human species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the model organism will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. Mode ...

to study the evolution of

self-incompatibility Self-incompatibility (SI) is a general name for several genetic mechanisms that prevent self-fertilization in sexually reproducing organisms, and thus encourage outcrossing and allogamy. It is contrasted with separation of sexes among individuals ...

into self-compatibility in

plant reproduction Plants may reproduce sexually or asexually. Sexual reproduction produces offspring by the fusion of gametes, resulting in offspring genetically different from either parent. Vegetative reproduction produces new individuals without the fusion o ...

References

grandiflora Plants described in 1843 Taxa named by Louis Athanase Chaubard Taxa named by Pierre Edmond Boissier {{Brassicales-stub