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lesser pepper-grass, lesser swine-cress, lesser wart-cress

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

Habit Annuals; (fetid); glabrous or pilose. Annuals; densely hirsute.
Stems

few to several from base, erect to ascending or decumbent, branched distally, 1–4.5(–7) dm.

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

Basal leaves

(soon withered);

not rosulate;

petiole 0.5–4(–6) cm;

blade 1- or 2-pinnatisect, 1–6(–8) cm, margins (of lobes) entire or dentate (sometimes deeply lobed).

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

shortly petiolate to subsessile;

blade similar to basal, smaller and less divided distally, lobes lanceolate to oblong or elliptic, 1.5–3.5(–4.5) cm ×5–12 mm, base not auriculate, margins (of lobes) entire, serrate, or incised.

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 glabrous or pubescent, trichomes straight, cylindrical.

much-elongated in fruit;

rachis hirsute, trichomes spreading, straight.

Flowers

sepals (tardily deciduous), ovate, 0.5–0.7(–0.9) mm;

petals white, elliptic to linear, 0.4–0.5 × ca. 0.1 mm, claw absent;

stamens 2, median;

filaments 0.3–0.6 mm;

anthers 0.1–0.2 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 slightly recurved, (terete), 1.4–2.5(–4) × 0.15–2 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent adaxially.

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

Fruits

schizocarpic, didymous, 1.3–1.7 × 2–2.5 mm, apically not winged, apical notch 0.2–0.4 mm deep;

valves thick, rugose, strongly veined, glabrous;

style absent or obsolete, included in 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, 1–1.2 × 0.7–0.8 mm.

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

2n

= 32.

= 16.

Lepidium didymum

Lepidium campestre

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jul. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Roadsides, waste areas, lawns, pastures, fields, gardens, disturbed areas Roadside, pastures, gardens, open flats, pine woodlands, rocky slopes, forests, waste grounds, disturbed areas, meadows, fields
Elevation 0-1000 m (0-3300 ft) 0-2600 m (0-8500 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CT; FL; GA; LA; MA; MD; ME; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; BC; NB; NF; NS; QC; South America [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico (Sinaloa), Central America (Honduras), Europe, Asia, s Africa, Australia]
[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]
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 580. FNA vol. 7, p. 577.
Parent taxa Brassicaceae > tribe Lepidieae > Lepidium Brassicaceae > tribe Lepidieae > Lepidium
Sibling taxa
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. 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 Carara didyma, Coronopus didymus, Senebiera didyma, Senebiera incisa, Senebiera pinnatifida Thlaspi campestre, Neolepia campestris
Name authority Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 12, 2: 433. (1767): Mant Pl. 1: 92. (1767) (Linnaeus) W. T. Aiton: in W. Aiton and W. T. Aiton, Hortus Kew. 4: 88. (1812)
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