The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

hairy pepperweed, medium pepperweed

hairy pepperweed, medium pepperweed, Menzies' pepperweed

Habit Plants annual, puberulent.
Stems

(0.6)1.5–5.5(7) dm.

Basal leaves

not rosulate, obovate to oblanceolate; (1)2.5–10(15) × 0.5–3(5) cm;

margins pinnatifid, lyrate, or dentate;

petioles 0.5–3.5 cm.

Cauline leaves

oblanceolate or linear, 1–6 cm × (1)3–10 mm, bases not auriculate;

margins serrate or entire, petiolate.

Inflorescences

rachises puberulent with curved cylindrical trichomes, rarely glabrous, fruiting pedicels divaricate-ascending to horizontal; straight or recurved, flattened at least below apex, 2.5–4(6) × (0.2)0.3–0.4 mm, puberulent adaxially or all around, or glabrous.

Flowers

sepals caducous; (0.5)0.7–1(1.1) mm;

petals rarely rudimentary, spatulate to oblanceolate, 1–2(2.5) × 0.3–0.8(1) mm, white;

stamens 2; median;

styles 0.1–0.2 mm, included in apical notch.

Fruits

dehiscent, orbicular, 2.5–3.5(4) mm in diameter; widest at middle; apical notch 0.2–0.5 mm deep;

valves smooth, glabrous or puberulent, not veined, apically winged.

Seeds

ovate, 1.3–1.9(2.1) × 0.7–1(1.2) mm;

cotyledons accumbent or rarely incumbent.

2n

=32.

Lepidium virginicum

Lepidium virginicum ssp. menziesii

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

Desert shrub communities, disturbed areas, pastures, riverbanks, woods, dry mountain slopes. Flowering Mar–Jul. 0–1600 m. BW, ECas, Est, Lava, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, NV, WA; north to British Columbia, northeast to MT, east to WY, southeast to TX, south to Mexico. Native.

Source Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 496
Ihsan Al-Shehbaz
Sibling taxa
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. oblongum, L. perfoliatum, L. pinnatifidum, L. ruderale, L. sativum, L. strictum
Subordinate taxa
L. virginicum ssp. menziesii
Synonyms Lepidium menziesii, Lepidium virginicum var. medium, Lepidium virginicum var. menziesii, Lepidium virginicum var. pubescens
Web links