Lepidium draba
Lepidium alyssoides
heart-pod hoary-cress, heart-pod pepperweed, hoary cress, hoary pepperwort, whitetop
mesa pepperwort
often simple from base, erect or decumbent basally, branched (several) distally, (0.8–)2–6.5(–9) dm.
few to several from base, erect to ascending, branched throughout, (0.7–)1–4.8(–6.1) dm.
(early withered);
not rosulate;
petiole 1–4 cm;
blade obovate, spatulate, or ovate, (1.5–)3–10(–15) cm × 10–40 mm, margins sinuate to dentate or entire.
often not rosulate;
petiole 1–6 cm;
blade pinnately lobed, (1–)1.5–8(–11) cm × (5–)10–35 mm, margins (of lobes) entire or denticulate.
sessile;
blade ovate, elliptic, oblong, or lanceolate, oblanceolate, or obovate, (1–)3–9(–15) cm × (5–)10–20(–50) mm, base sagittate-amplexicaul or auriculate, margins dentate or entire, (surfaces pubescent or glabrous).
sessile;
blade linear, (0.8–)1.3–7(–9.5) cm × (0.7–)1–2(–3) mm, base attenuate, not auriculate, margins entire.
(corymbose panicles), slightly or considerably elongated in fruit;
rachis glabrous or puberulent, trichomes straight or curved, cylindrical.
elongated in fruit;
rachis puberulent or glabrous.
sepals oblong to ovate, 1.5–2.5 × 0.7–1.2 mm;
petals white, obovate, (2.5–)3–4(–4.5) × (1–)1.3–2(–2.2) mm, claw 1–1.7 mm;
stamens 6;
filaments 2–3 mm, (glabrous);
anthers 0.4–0.5 mm.
sepals ovate to oblong, 1–2 × 0.8–1 mm;
petals white, suborbicular, 2–3 × 1–2 mm, claw 0.5–1.5 mm;
stamens 6;
filaments 1.5–2 mm, (glabrous);
anthers 0.2–0.4 mm.
ascending to horizontal, straight, (terete), 5–10(–15) × 0.2–0.3 mm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent adaxially.
divaricate to horizontal, straight or recurved to somewhat sigmoid, (terete), 3.5–8(–11) × 0.2 mm, glabrous or puberulent adaxially.
(indehiscent), cordate to subreniform, (2–)2.5–3.7(–4.3) × (3.2–)3.7–5(–5.6) mm, apically (obtuse to subacute), not winged, apical notch absent;
valves thin, smooth, reticulate-veined, glabrous;
style (0.6–)1–1.8(–2) mm.
broadly ovate, 2–3.7(–4.3) × (1.5–)1.8–2.9(–3.4) mm, apically winged, apical notch 0.1–0.3(–0.4) mm deep;
valves thin, smooth, not veined, glabrous;
style 0.2–0.6 mm, exserted beyond apical notch.
ovate, 1.5–2.3 × 1–1.3 mm.
ovate, 1.5–1.8(–2) × 0.9–1.2(–1.5) mm.
= 32, 64.
= 32.
Lepidium draba
Lepidium alyssoides
Although Lepidium draba is poorly established and known from old collections in the eastern part of the United States, it has become a noxious weed in several western states.
Lepidium draba and its nearest relatives, L. appelianum and L. chalepense, form a monophyletic clade most closely related to L. campestre (K. Mummenhoff et al. 2001). A. Thellung (1906) and C. L. Hitchcock (1936) correctly placed L. draba in Lepidium, as did Linnaeus. The recognition of the first three species in Cardaria and the maintenance of their nearest relative, L. campestre, in Lepidium do not make any sense on both phylogenetic and taxonomic grounds.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Of the five varieties of Lepidium alyssoides recognized by R. C. Rollins (1993), one (var. mexicanum Rollins) is a short-tufted form of the species restricted to Mexico that does not seem to merit recognition, another (var. junceum) is a glabrescent form of the type variety, a third (var. eastwoodiae) is treated below as a distinct species, and the fourth (var. angustifolium) is included here within L. alyssoides.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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