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

alkali pepper-weed, alkali peppergrass, alkali pepperwort, net pepper grass, veiny pepper-grass

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

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

few to several from base, erect to ascending, or (outer ones) decumbent, unbranched, (0.15–)0.3–1.3(–2.1) 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).

(soon withered);

not rosulate;

petiole 0.5–2 cm;

blade pinnatifid to pinnatisect (lobes linear to narrowly oblong), (1.5–)2.2–5.7(–7) cm × (0.5–)1–2(–3) mm, margins entire.

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;

blade usually linear, rarely with linear lobes, 1–5 cm × 0.5–2 mm, base attenuate, not auriculate, margins entire.

Racemes

elongated in fruit;

rachis glabrous or pubescent, trichomes straight, cylindrical.

elongated, (dense) in fruit;

rachis hirsute, trichomes straight, cylindrical.

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 to ovate, 0.7–1.1 × 0.2–0.6 mm;

petals absent;

stamens 4, median;

filaments 0.5–1 mm;

anthers ca. 0.1 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

divaricate to horizontal, straight slightly recurved, (terete), 1.4–2.5(–4) × 0.15–2 mm, glabrous or sparsely pubescent adaxially.

erect to slightly ascending, straight and appressed to rachis or distally slightly recurved, (strongly flattened), (1.6–)1.9–2.5(–3) × 0.4–0.8 mm (width proximal to apex), usually hirsute or, rarely, only adaxially.

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.

ovate, 2.5–3.5 × 2–2.8 mm, apically winged, apical notch (closed, often U-shaped), 0.5–0.7(–0.8) mm deep;

valves thin, smooth, strongly reticulate-veined, usually hirsute, rarely glabrous;

style absent or obsolete, included in apical notch.

Seeds

ovate, 1–1.2 × 0.7–0.8 mm.

ovate, 1.2–1.8 × 0.8–1.2 mm.

2n

= 32.

Lepidium didymum

Lepidium dictyotum

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jul. Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat Roadsides, waste areas, lawns, pastures, fields, gardens, disturbed areas Margins of playas, saline areas, meadows, gypsum hills, dried pools, alkaline and clay flats and sinks, near hot springs, roadsides, borders of springs and ponds, sandy flats
Elevation 0-1000 m (0-3300 ft) 0-1600 m (0-5200 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
CA; ID; NV; OR; UT; WA; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 580. FNA vol. 7, p. 580.
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. campestre, L. chalepense, L. coronopus, L. crenatum, L. davisii, L. densiflorum, 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 L. acutidens var. microcarpum, L. dictyotum var. macrocarpum, Nasturtium dictyotum
Name authority Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 12, 2: 433. (1767): Mant Pl. 1: 92. (1767) A. Gray: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 7: 329. (1868)
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