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

purple-anther field pepper-weed, purple-anther pepperweed, Smith's pepper-grass, Smith's pepperweed, Smith's pepperwort, variable leaf pepperwort, variable-leaf pepperweed

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

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

branched from base, erect to ascending, often decumbent basally, unbranched or branched (few) distally, 1–5 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 1–6.2 cm;

blade oblanceolate or oblong-elliptic, 1–4.5 cm × 4–14 mm, margins entire, repand, or denticulate.

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 oblong to deltate-lanceolate, 1–3.5 cm × 3–8 mm, base sagittate or auriculate, margins dentate to denticulate.

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, 1.6–2.2 × 0.6–1.1 mm;

petals white, spatulate, 1.8–2.8 × 0.8–1.4 mm, claw 1–2 mm;

stamens 6;

filaments 1.8–2.6 mm, (glabrous);

anthers 0.4–0.5 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), 2.8–5 × 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, 4–5.5 × 3.5–4 mm, (curved adaxially), apically broadly winged, apical notch 0.2–0.3 mm deep;

valves thin, often not papillate, not veined;

style (0.6–)1–1.5 mm, well-exserted beyond apical notch.

Seeds

ovate, 1–1.2 × 0.7–0.8 mm.

(dark brown), ovoid, 1.8–2.2 × 1–1.2 mm.

2n

= 32.

= 48.

Lepidium didymum

Lepidium heterophyllum

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jul. Flowering May–Jun.
Habitat Roadsides, waste areas, lawns, pastures, fields, gardens, disturbed areas Gravel mounds, roadsides, abandoned fields, waste grounds, disturbed sites, gardens, hillsides
Elevation 0-1000 m (0-3300 ft) 0-300 m (0-1000 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; CO; MA; ME; NY; OR; PA; WA; BC; NF; Europe [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The records from Maine and Massachusetts are based on old collections, and it is not known if Lepidium heterophyllum has become established as part of the weedy flora of those states.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 580. FNA vol. 7, p. 582.
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. dictyotum, L. didymum, L. draba, L. eastwoodiae, L. flavum, L. fremontii, 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
Name authority Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 12, 2: 433. (1767): Mant Pl. 1: 92. (1767) Bentham: Cat. Pl. Pyrénées, 95. (1826)
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