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mesa pepperwort

field cress, field pepper-grass, field pepper-weed, field peppergrass pepperwort

Habit Perennials or subshrubs; (woody base often aboveground); glabrous or minutely puberulent. Annuals; densely hirsute.
Stems

few to several from base, erect to ascending, branched throughout, (0.7–)1–4.8(–6.1) dm.

simple from base, erect, unbranched or branched distally, (0.8–)1.2–5(–6.3) dm.

Basal leaves

often not rosulate;

petiole 1–6 cm;

blade pinnately lobed, (1–)1.5–8(–11) cm × (5–)10–35 mm, margins (of lobes) entire or denticulate.

rosulate;

petiole (0.5–)1.5–6 cm;

blade oblanceolate or oblong, (1–)2–6(–8) cm × 5–15 mm, margins entire, lyrate, or pinnatifid.

Cauline leaves

sessile;

blade linear, (0.8–)1.3–7(–9.5) cm × (0.7–)1–2(–3) mm, base attenuate, not auriculate, margins entire.

sessile; oblong, lanceolate, or narrowly deltate-lanceolate, (0.7–)1–4(–6.5) cm × (2–)5–10(–15) mm, base sagittate or auriculate, margins dentate or subentire.

Racemes

elongated in fruit;

rachis puberulent or glabrous.

much-elongated in fruit;

rachis hirsute, trichomes spreading, straight.

Flowers

sepals ovate to oblong, 1–2 × 0.8–1 mm;

petals white, suborbicular, 2–3 × 1–2 mm, claw 0.5–1.5 mm;

stamens 6;

filaments 1.5–2 mm, (glabrous);

anthers 0.2–0.4 mm.

sepals oblong, (1–)1.3–1.8 × 0.6–0.8 mm;

petals white, spatulate, (1.5–)1.8–2.5(–3) × (0.2–)0.5–0.7 mm, claw 0.6–1 mm;

stamens 6;

filaments (1.2–)1.5–1.8(–2) mm, (glabrous);

anthers 0.3–0.5 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

divaricate to horizontal, straight or recurved to somewhat sigmoid, (terete), 3.5–8(–11) × 0.2 mm, glabrous or puberulent adaxially.

horizontal, straight or slightly recurved, (terete), (3–)4–8(–10) × 0.3–0.4 mm, hirsute.

Fruits

broadly ovate, 2–3.7(–4.3) × (1.5–)1.8–2.9(–3.4) mm, apically winged, apical notch 0.1–0.3(–0.4) mm deep;

valves thin, smooth, not veined, glabrous;

style 0.2–0.6 mm, exserted beyond apical notch.

broadly oblong to ovate, (4–)5–6(–6.5) × (3–)4–5 mm, (curved adaxially), apically broadly winged, apical notch (0.2–)0.4–0.6 mm deep;

valves thin, papillate except for wing, not veined;

style 0.2–0.5(–0.7) mm, slightly exserted beyond, or included in, apical notch.

Seeds

ovate, 1.5–1.8(–2) × 0.9–1.2(–1.5) mm.

(dark brown), ovoid, 2–2.3(–2.8) × 1–1.4 mm.

2n

= 32.

= 16.

Lepidium alyssoides

Lepidium campestre

Phenology Flowering May–Jul. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Pinyon-juniper or sagebrush communities, prairies, grasslands, sandstone outcrops, gypsum flats, sand dunes, dry flats and river bottoms, gravelly roadsides Roadside, pastures, gardens, open flats, pine woodlands, rocky slopes, forests, waste grounds, disturbed areas, meadows, fields
Elevation 1200-2800 m (3900-9200 ft) 0-2600 m (0-8500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; NV; TX; UT; WY; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MO; MS; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; BC; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; Europe; Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in South America, South Africa]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Of the five varieties of Lepidium alyssoides recognized by R. C. Rollins (1993), one (var. mexicanum Rollins) is a short-tufted form of the species restricted to Mexico that does not seem to merit recognition, another (var. junceum) is a glabrescent form of the type variety, a third (var. eastwoodiae) is treated below as a distinct species, and the fourth (var. angustifolium) is included here within L. alyssoides.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 575. FNA vol. 7, p. 577.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Lepidieae > Lepidium Brassicaceae > tribe Lepidieae > Lepidium
Sibling taxa
L. acutidens, L. appelianum, L. austrinum, L. barnebyanum, L. campestre, L. chalepense, L. coronopus, L. crenatum, L. davisii, L. densiflorum, L. dictyotum, L. didymum, L. draba, L. eastwoodiae, L. flavum, L. fremontii, L. heterophyllum, L. huberi, L. integrifolium, L. jaredii, L. lasiocarpum, L. latifolium, L. latipes, L. montanum, L. nanum, L. nitidum, L. oblongum, L. ostleri, L. oxycarpum, L. papilliferum, L. paysonii, L. perfoliatum, L. pinnatifidum, L. ramosissimum, L. ruderale, L. sativum, L. sordidum, L. strictum, L. thurberi, L. tiehmii, L. virginicum
L. acutidens, L. alyssoides, L. appelianum, L. austrinum, L. barnebyanum, L. chalepense, L. coronopus, L. crenatum, L. davisii, L. densiflorum, L. dictyotum, L. didymum, L. draba, L. eastwoodiae, L. flavum, L. fremontii, L. heterophyllum, L. huberi, L. integrifolium, L. jaredii, L. lasiocarpum, L. latifolium, L. latipes, L. montanum, L. nanum, L. nitidum, L. oblongum, L. ostleri, L. oxycarpum, L. papilliferum, L. paysonii, L. perfoliatum, L. pinnatifidum, L. ramosissimum, L. ruderale, L. sativum, L. sordidum, L. strictum, L. thurberi, L. tiehmii, L. virginicum
Synonyms L. alyssoides var. angustifolium, L. alyssoides var. junceum, L. alyssoides var. minus, L. alyssoides var. polycarpum, L. alyssoides var. streptocarpum, L. montanum subsp. alyssoides, L. montanum var. alyssoides, L. montanum subsp. angustifolium, L. montanum var. angustifolium, L. tortum Thlaspi campestre, Neolepia campestris
Name authority A. Gray: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 10. (1849) (Linnaeus) W. T. Aiton: in W. Aiton and W. T. Aiton, Hortus Kew. 4: 88. (1812)
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