Tower Mustard Arabis glabra
Tower Mustard (Turritis glabra) is a tall, elegant biennial of open sandy and chalky soils, its narrow, arrow-shaped stem leaves and slender siliques giving it a distinctive architectural quality. It is nationally scarce and largely confined to eastern England, with the Breckland of Suffolk and Norfolk representing a key stronghold. In Suffolk, it grows on open sandy banks, heathland edges, and disturbed ground where vegetation is sparse and competition is low. It is a conspicuous plant when in flower in late spring, yet easily overlooked in its rosette stage. Maintaining open-ground conditions through grazing and disturbance management supports its continued presence.Image: © Александр Жуковский, iNaturalist.
Find out more: iNaturalist, Plantlife, Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora
Suffolk’s Priority Fern and Flowering Plant Species
Key
Listed as a conservation priority in Suffolk’s Biodiversity Action Plan.
Closely associated with Suffolk’s landscape and natural identity.
Identified as a key priority for recovery under Suffolk’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
Has a Species of the Month article attached.
Archived action plan, 2005