Arabidopsis thaliana (A-ra-bi-dóp-sis tha-li-á-na; thale cress, mouse-ear cress or arabidopsis) is a small flowering plant native to Europe, Asia, and northwestern Africa. A winter annual with a relatively short life cycle, arabidopsis is a popular model organism in plant biology and genetics. Arabidopsis thaliana has a relatively small genome for a complex, multicellular, eukaryote of approximately 135 megabase pairs (Mbp). It was long thought to have the smallest genome of all flowering plants, but the smallest known flowering plants' genomes now belong to plants in the genus Genlisea, order Lamiales, with Genlisea margaretae, a carnivorous plant, showing a genome size of 63.4 Mbp. Arabidopsis thalian was the first plant to have its genome sequenced, and is a popular tool for understanding the molecular biology of many plant traits, including flower development and light sensing.
Read more about Arabidopsis Thaliana: Discovery and Name Origin, Habitat, Morphology, and Life Cycle, Use As A Model Organism, History of Arabidopsis Research, Arabidopsis Thaliana in A Microfluidic Device