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

Habit Annuals; densely hirsute.
Stems

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

Basal leaves

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; 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

much-elongated in fruit;

rachis hirsute, trichomes spreading, straight.

Flowers

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

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

Fruits

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

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

2n

= 16.

Lepidium campestre

Phenology Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Roadside, pastures, gardens, open flats, pine woodlands, rocky slopes, forests, waste grounds, disturbed areas, meadows, fields
Elevation 0-2600 m (0-8500 ft)
Distribution
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]
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 577.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Lepidieae > Lepidium
Sibling taxa
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 Thlaspi campestre, Neolepia campestris
Name authority (Linnaeus) W. T. Aiton: in W. Aiton and W. T. Aiton, Hortus Kew. 4: 88. (1812)
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