| Capsella | |
|---|---|
|   | |
| Shepherd's purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris | |
|  Scientific classification   | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae | 
| Clade: | Tracheophytes | 
| Clade: | Angiosperms | 
| Clade: | Eudicots | 
| Clade: | Rosids | 
| Order: | Brassicales | 
| Family: | Brassicaceae | 
| Genus: |  Capsella  Medik.  | 
| Synonyms [1] | |
  | |
Capsella is a genus of herbaceous annual and biennial plants in the family Brassicaceae. [2] It is a close relative of Arabidopsis , Neslia , and Halimolobos . [3]
Some authors circumscribe Capsella to contain only three species: Capsella bursa-pastoris , Capsella rubella and Capsella grandiflora . [3] As of 2025 [update] , Kew's Plants of the World Online list eight species. [1]
Capsella rubella is a self-fertilizing species that became self-compatible 50,000 to 100,000 years ago. Its outcrossing progenitor was Capsella grandiflora. In general, the shift from outcrossing to self-fertilization is among the most common transitions in flowering plants. Capsella rubella is studied as a model for understanding the evolution of self-fertilization. [4] [5]
The name is said to derive from Latin capsa, a box or case, alluding to fruit resembling a medieval wallet or purse; [6] the suffix -ella denotes "lesser". [7]
Species include: [1]