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mesa pepperwort

Huber's pepperweed

Habit Perennials or subshrubs; (woody base often aboveground); glabrous or minutely puberulent. Perennials or subshrubs; (caudex to 2 cm diam., woody base aboveground); puberulent.
Stems

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

several from base, erect to ascending, branched distally, (1.8–)3–6(–7) 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.

not rosulate;

petiole 1–3 cm;

blade ovate to lanceolate, pinnatifid, 1–4.5 cm × 8–25 mm, margins (of lobes) entire.

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.

shortly petiolate or sessile;

blade lanceolate to oblanceolate, 1.8–3.5 cm × 3–10 mm (smaller distally), base cuneate, not auriculate, margins entire or coarsely serrate.

Racemes

elongated in fruit;

rachis puberulent or glabrous.

(subcorymbose panicles), individual racemes slightly elongated;

rachis puberulent, trichomes 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 suborbicular to broadly ovate, 1.2–2 × 1.2–1.5 mm;

petals white, suborbicular to obovate, 2–3.2 × 1.5–2 mm, claw 0.5–1 mm;

stamens 6;

filaments 1.4–1.7 mm, (glabrous);

anthers 0.4–0.5 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

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

divaricate to horizontal, straight or slightly curved, (not winged), 4–7 × 0.2 mm, puberulent throughout.

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.

often broadly obovate, 2–3.3 × 1.8–2.5 mm, apically winged, apical notch 0.1–0.2 mm deep;

valves thin, smooth, not veined, glabrous;

style 0.2–0.8 mm, exserted beyond apical notch.

Seeds

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

ovate, 1.4–1.6 × 0.8–1 mm.

2n

= 32.

Lepidium alyssoides

Lepidium huberi

Phenology Flowering May–Jul. Flowering Jul–Aug.
Habitat Pinyon-juniper or sagebrush communities, prairies, grasslands, sandstone outcrops, gypsum flats, sand dunes, dry flats and river bottoms, gravelly roadsides Pine and sagebrush communities
Elevation 1200-2800 m (3900-9200 ft) 1500-3000 m (4900-9800 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
CO; UT
[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.)

Of conservation concern.

Lepidium huberi is known in Colorado from Rio Blanco County and in Utah from Uintah County.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 575. FNA vol. 7, p. 583.
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. 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. 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
Name authority A. Gray: Mem. Amer. Acad. Arts, n. s. 4: 10. (1849) S. L. Welsh & Goodrich: Great Basin Naturalist 55: 359, fig. 1. (1995)
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