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

broad-leaf pepper-grass, broad-leaf pepper-weed, broad-leaf pepperwort, dittander, perennial pepper-weed

Habit Annuals; (fetid); glabrous or pilose. Perennials; (rhizomes thick, caudex woody); glabrous or pubescent.
Stems

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

simple from base, erect, branched distally, (2–)3.5–12(–15) 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).

not rosulate;

petiole 1–9(–14) cm;

blade elliptic-ovate to oblong, (2–)3.5–15(–25) cm × (5–)15–50(–80) mm, (leathery), margins entire or serrate.

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 or shortly petiolate;

blade oblong to elliptic-ovate or lanceolate, (1–)2–9(–12) cm × 3–45 mm, base cuneate, not auriculate, margins serrate or entire.

Racemes

elongated in fruit;

rachis glabrous or pubescent, trichomes straight, cylindrical.

(subcorymbose panicles), slightly elongated or not in fruit;

rachis glabrous or sparsely puberulent, 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 suborbicular to ovate, 1–1.4 × 0.8–0.9 mm;

petals white, obovate, 1.8–2.5 × (0.8–)1–1.3 mm, claw 0.7–1 mm;

stamens 6;

filaments 0.9–1.4 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.

ascending to divaricate, straight or slightly curved, (terete), 2–5(–6) × 0.1–0.2 mm, glabrous or puberulent 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.

oblong-elliptic to broadly ovate or suborbicular, (1.6–)1.8–2.4(–2.7) × 1.3–1.8 mm, apically not winged, apical notch 0(–0.1) mm deep;

valves thin, smooth, not veined, glabrous or sparsely pilose;

style 0.05–0.15 mm, exserted beyond apical notch (when present).

Seeds

ovate, 1–1.2 × 0.7–0.8 mm.

oblong, (0.8–)1–1.2 × 0.6–0.9 mm.

2n

= 32.

= 24.

Lepidium didymum

Lepidium latifolium

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jul. Flowering Jun–Sep.
Habitat Roadsides, waste areas, lawns, pastures, fields, gardens, disturbed areas Pastures, grasslands, disturbed places, fields, roadsides, slopes, saline meadows, stream banks, waste grounds, dry flats, sagebrush and pinyon-juniper communities, barren hillsides, ditch banks, edge of marshes
Elevation 0-1000 m (0-3300 ft) 0-2500 m (0-8200 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
AZ; CA; CO; CT; ID; IL; KS; MA; MO; MT; NE; NM; NV; NY; OR; TX; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; QC; s Europe; Asia; n Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico (Durango, San Luis Potosí), Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 7, p. 580. FNA vol. 7, p. 585.
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. heterophyllum, L. huberi, L. integrifolium, L. jaredii, L. lasiocarpum, 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 Cardaria latifolia
Name authority Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 12, 2: 433. (1767): Mant Pl. 1: 92. (1767) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 644. (1753)
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