About Capsella rubella Reut.
Capsella rubella, commonly known as pink shepherd's-purse, is a plant species in the genus Capsella, which belongs to the mustard family. It looks very similar to Capsella bursa-pastoris, but unlike the tetraploid genome of C. bursa-pastoris, C. rubella has a diploid genome. This species is also a very close relative of Arabidopsis thaliana. It is theorized that C. rubella diverged from its closest ancestor, which links it to Capsella grandiflora, approximately 30,000 to 50,000 years ago. Together with C. grandiflora, C. rubella is used as a model plant for researching the evolutionary transition from self-incompatibility to self-compatibility in plant reproduction. This species occurs mostly in the Mediterranean region.
