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lesser swinecress, lesser wartcress

veiny pepperweed

Habit Plants annual, fetid, glabrous or pilose. Plants annual, hirsute.
Stems

often decumbent, 1–4.5(7) dm.

(5)1–2.4(3.2) 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, 0.7–3.5 cm, 1- or 2-pinnatifid;

lobes entire or dentate;

petioles (0.5)1–3.

Cauline leaves

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

0.8–2 cm × 2–9 mm, bases auriculate or not;

margins laciniate or pinnatifid, sessile, rarely short-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 hirsute with straight cylindrical trichomes, fruiting pedicels divaricate to horizontal; terete, slightly recurved or rarely straight, 2–3.5(5) mm, puberulent adaxially or rarely all around.

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 to somewhat persistent, 0.7–1 mm;

petals absent or rudimentary, linear-oblanceolate, 0.1–0.7 × 0.05–0.15 mm, white;

stamens 2; median;

styles to 0.1 mm, included in 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, orbicular to obovate or elliptic, 2.2–3.5 × 2–3 mm; apical notch 0.2–0.3 mm deep;

valves smooth, glabrous or sparsely puberulent along margin, not veined, apically winged.

Seeds

ovate, 1–1.2 × 0.7–0.8 mm;

cotyledons incumbent.

ovate, 1.2–1.6 × 0.7–1 mm; wingless;

cotyledons incumbent.

2n

=32.

Lepidium didymum

Lepidium oblongum

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.

Prairies, pastures, disturbed areas. Flowering Apr–Aug. 200–400 m. Sisk. CA; midwestern and southern US, Mexico. Native.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 494
Ihsan Al-Shehbaz
Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 495
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. latifolium, L. montanum, L. nitidum, L. perfoliatum, L. pinnatifidum, L. ruderale, L. sativum, L. strictum, L. virginicum
Synonyms Coronopus didymus Lepidium oblongum var. oblongum
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