Lepidium alyssoides
Lepidium ramosissimum
mesa pepperwort
branch pepper-grass, clasping-leaf pepper-grass, dull peppergrass, manybranch pepperweed
few to several from base, erect to ascending, branched throughout, (0.7–)1–4.8(–6.1) dm.
simple from base, erect, branched (several) distally, (0.6–)1–5.3(–7.7) dm.
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.
(soon withered);
not rosulate;
petiole 1–4 cm;
blade oblanceolate or pinnatifid, 2–5 cm × 8–15 mm, margins (of lobes) entire serrate or dentate.
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 oblanceolate or (distal) linear, (0.6–)1.2–4.8(–6) cm × 1–8(–10) mm, base attenuate to cuneate, not auriculate, margins dentate, (distal) entire, or, rarely, lobed.
elongated in fruit;
rachis puberulent or glabrous.
slightly elongated in fruit;
rachis puberulent, trichomes curved, cylindrical to subclavate.
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, 0.6–0.9(–1.1) × 0.3–0.4 mm;
petals (absent or rudimentary), white, linear, 0.2–0.8(–1) × 0.05–0.1 mm, claw absent;
stamens 2, median;
filaments 0.6–0.9 mm;
anthers 0.15–0.2 mm.
divaricate to horizontal, straight or recurved to somewhat sigmoid, (terete), 3.5–8(–11) × 0.2 mm, glabrous or puberulent adaxially.
divaricate-ascending to horizontal, straight or recurved, (terete), (1.6–)2–3.8(–5) × 0.2–0.3 mm, usually puberulent adaxially, rarely throughout.
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.
elliptic, 2.2–3.2 × 1.7–2.1mm, apically winged, apical notch 0.1–0.3(–0.4) mm deep;
valves thin, smooth, not veined, glabrous or puberulent at least along margin;
style usually obsolete, rarely to 0.1 mm, included in apical notch.
ovate, 1.5–1.8(–2) × 0.9–1.2(–1.5) mm.
oblong, 1.2–1.6 × 0.8–0.9 mm.
= 32.
= 32, 64.
Lepidium alyssoides
Lepidium ramosissimum
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.)
As noted by R. C. Rollins (1993, p. 581), the varieties of Lepidium ramosissimum are “weak at best.” They are based largely on the branching habit and, most importantly, on the presence versus absence of trichomes on the fruit valve. In some collections (e.g., Scoggan 4233, GH; Boivin et al., 13221, GH), both puberulent- and glabrous-fruited forms occur. It is almost certain that the same situation exists not only in other populations of this species, but in other North American Lepidium. It is also clear that some populations might consist entirely of one of the two forms, but it is highly unlikely that this variation has any geographical basis. Therefore, we believe that the separation of varieties solely on the basis of presence or absence of the fruit trichomes is taxonomically meaningless.
We are reluctantly including Lepidium divergens in the synonymy of L. ramosissimum because we have not seen its type; the topotypes that we studied have broadly obovate to suborbicular fruits that appear more at home in the L. densiflorum or L. virginicum complexes.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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