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

garden cress, garden cress pepperwort, garden pepper-grass, garden pepperweed, garden pepperwort, gardencress pepperweed, pepper cress

Habit Annuals; (fetid); glabrous or pilose. Annuals; (often glaucous), usually glabrous, rarely sparsely pilose.
Stems

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

simple from base, erect, branched distally, (1–)2–8(–10) 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).

(withered by anthesis);

not rosulate;

petiole 1–4 cm;

blade 1- or 2-pinnatifid or pinnatisect (lobes ovate to oblong), 2–8(–10) cm, margins (of lobes) entire or dentate.

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.

petiolate;

blade similar to basal, usually less divided, rarely undivided, (distal) often linear, bases not auriculate, margins entire.

Racemes

elongated in fruit;

rachis glabrous or pubescent, trichomes straight, cylindrical.

considerably elongated in fruit;

rachis glabrous.

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-obovate, 1–1.8 × 0.5–0.8 mm;

petals white or lavender, spatulate to obovate, 2–3.5(–4) × 0.7–1.4 mm, claw 1–1.4 mm;

stamens 6;

filaments (median pairs) 1.5–2 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.

suberect to ascending, appressed to rachis, straight, (terete or slightly flattened), 1.5–4(–6) × 0.4–0.6 mm, glabrous.

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 ovate or ovate-oblong, (4–)5–6.4(–7) × 3–4.5(–5.6) mm, apically broadly winged, apical notch 0.2 0.8 mm deep;

valves thin, smooth, not veined, glabrous;

style 0.1–0.5(–0.8) mm, usually included in, rarely subequaling, apical notch.

Seeds

ovate, 1–1.2 × 0.7–0.8 mm.

(reddish brown), ovate-oblong, 2–2.7(–3) × 1–1.5 mm, (3-lobed).

2n

= 32.

= 16, 32.

Lepidium didymum

Lepidium sativum

Phenology Flowering Mar–Jul. Flowering Apr–Aug.
Habitat Roadsides, waste areas, lawns, pastures, fields, gardens, disturbed areas Gardens, old fields, vacant lots, disturbed areas, railroad embankments, waste grounds, roadsides, cultivated areas
Elevation 0-1000 m (0-3300 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
CT; IA; ID; MA; MD; ME; MI; NH; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; TN; WA; WY; AB; BC; MB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; Europe; sw Asia; perhaps ne Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in South America (Argentina), Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Lepidium sativum is cultivated as a salad green and is sporadically naturalized, though never as an aggressive weed. It is seldom collected; the above range may be incomplete.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 580. FNA vol. 7, p. 592.
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. 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. 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) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 644. (1753)
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