Arabidopsis thaliana aka Thale Cress

Arabidopsis thaliana is a small plant that bears flowers. It belongs to the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. Names for it include thale cress and mouse-ear cress. Wall cress is another common name. It is native to temperate Eurasia and tropical African mountains. The RHS also lists Britain and Ireland as native sites. Kew classes it as an annual of temperate climates. Annual plants live for one year. Plants For A Future also allows for biennial growth, spanning two years.

The plant reaches about 1.6 feet (0.5 metres) in height. It grows on walls, banks, and ground near hedges. It also grows on waste ground and dry soils. These sites place it among plants of open or disturbed ground. The sources give no details of its leaves or stems. They give no account of its fruit, either. The garden sites listed include hedgerows and spots beside walls.

Plants For A Future gives April to May for bloom. Each flower has both male and female organs. Insects carry pollen between flowers. The plant is also self-fertile: its own pollen can fertilise it. The source gives no flower colour or shape. It says to sow seed outdoors in spring. Sow it where the plants will grow. The evidence gives no other way to raise new plants.

The listed soils include sand, loam, and clay. The plant can grow in mildly acid or neutral soil. Mildly alkaline soil suits it too. It accepts full sun or light shade in woods. Its stated soil moisture range runs from dry to moist. Plants For A Future suggests sun and tolerance of poor soil. It marks this advice as tentative. It does not base it on specific records of growing the plant. The evidence gives no hardiness zone or pest and disease details. The same source notes some scope for growth as a weed.

Its main stated use is plant research, not farming. Scientists use it to study genes, evolution, and plant growth. They also study cells and how flowering plants work. Plants For A Future records its use as a mouthwash for mouth sores. This record does not show that the treatment is safe or works. The source lists no known food uses. It gives edibility a zero rating. It reports no known hazards. Yet it gives no specific safety assessment for humans or pets.