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lesser swinecress, lesser wartcress

broad-leaved peppergrass, broad-leaved pepperweed, perennial pepperweed

Habit Plants annual, fetid, glabrous or pilose. Plants perennial, glabrous or pubescent; with thick rhizomes and woody caudices.
Stems

often decumbent, 1–4.5(7) dm.

(2)3.5–12(15) dm.

Basal leaves

not rosulate, 1–6(8) cm, 1- or 2-pinnatisect;

lobes entire or dentate, sometimes deeply lobed;

petioles 0.5–4(6) cm.

not rosulate, elliptic-ovate to oblong; (2)3.5–15(25) cm × (5)15–50(80) mm; leathery;

margins entire or serrate;

petioles 1–9(14) cm.

Cauline leaves

similar to basal, 1.5–3.5(4.5) × 0.5–1.2 cm, bases not auriculate, petiolate to subsessile.

oblong to elliptic-ovate or lanceolate; (1)2–9(12) cm × 3–45 mm, bases not auriculate;

margins serrate or entire, sessile or petiolate.

Inflorescences

rachises glabrous or pubescent with straight cylindrical trichomes, fruiting pedicels divaricate to horizontal; terete; straight or slightly recurved, 1.4–2.5(4) mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent adaxially.

rachises glabrous or puberulent with straight cylindrical trichomes, fruiting pedicels ascending to divaricate; terete; straight or curved, 2–5(6) mm, glabrous or puberulent adaxially.

Flowers

sepals caducous, 0.5–0.7(0.9) mm;

petals elliptic to linear, 0.4–0.5 × ~0.1 mm, white;

stamens 2; median;

styles absent or obsolete, included in apical notch.

sepals caducous, 1–1.4 mm;

petals obovate, 1.8–2.5 × (0.8)1–1.3 mm, white;

stamens 6;

styles 0.05–0.15 mm, slightly exserted beyond apical notch.

Fruits

indehiscent, didymous, 1.3–1.7 × 2–2.5 mm; apical notch 0.2–0.4 mm deep;

valves thick, rugose, glabrous, strongly veined; wingless.

dehiscent, oblong-elliptic, broadly ovate or suborbicular; (1.6)1.8–2.4(2.7) × 1.3–1.8 mm; apical notch absent or rarely to 0.1 mm;

valves smooth, glabrous or sparsely pilose, not veined; wingless.

Seeds

ovate, 1–1.2 × 0.7–0.8 mm;

cotyledons incumbent.

oblong; (0.8)1–1.2 × 0.6–0.9 mm;

cotyledons incumbent.

2n

=32.

=24.

Lepidium didymum

Lepidium latifolium

Distribution
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Disturbed areas, fields, pastures. Flowering May–Oct. 0–300 m. Est, WV. CA, WA; north to British Columbia, eastern Canada and US, southern US; nearly worldwide. Exotic.

Saline meadows, streambanks, fields, grasslands, disturbed places, slopes, disturbed areas, sagebrush and pinyon-juniper communities, barren hillsides, edge of marshes. Flowering May–Sep. 0–1400 m. BW, Col, ECas, Est, Lava, Owy, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; western North America, widely scattered eastern North America; Africa, Asia, Europe. Exotic.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 494
Ihsan Al-Shehbaz
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 494
Ihsan Al-Shehbaz
Sibling taxa
L. acutidens, L. appelianum, L. campestre, L. chalepense, L. davisii, L. densiflorum, L. dictyotum, L. draba, L. graminifolium, L. heterophyllum, L. latifolium, L. montanum, L. nitidum, L. oblongum, L. perfoliatum, L. pinnatifidum, L. ruderale, L. sativum, L. strictum, L. virginicum
L. acutidens, L. appelianum, L. campestre, L. chalepense, L. davisii, L. densiflorum, L. dictyotum, L. didymum, L. draba, L. graminifolium, L. heterophyllum, L. montanum, L. nitidum, L. oblongum, L. perfoliatum, L. pinnatifidum, L. ruderale, L. sativum, L. strictum, L. virginicum
Synonyms Coronopus didymus
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