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mesa pepperwort

southern pepperweed, southern pepperwort

Habit Annuals, biennials, or perennials; (base woody); glabrous or pubescent. Annuals or biennials; often densely hirsute, (trichomes cylindrical).
Stems

simple from base, erect, branched distally, (3.5–)4.5–16(–18) dm.

often simple from base, erect, branched distally, (1.5–)2–6.7(–9.4) dm.

Basal leaves

(soon deciduous), not rosulate;

petiole (1–)2–5.5(–7.5) cm;

blade pinnatifid, (2–)3–6.8(–9) cm × 10–30 mm, margins (of lobes) dentate to serrate.

(later withered); rosulate;

petiole (0.7–)1.5–4.5 cm;

blade pinnatifid, 2–8.3 cm × 9–26 mm, margins (of lobes) entire or dentate.

Cauline leaves

shortly petiolate or sessile;

blade narrowly lanceolate or oblanceolate to linear, 3–7 cm × (2.5–)4–10mm (smaller distally), base attenuate to cuneate, not auriculate, margins usually entire, rarely dentate.

shortly petiolate;

blade oblanceolate to nearly linear, 1–4.5(–6.2) cm × 3–10(–17) mm, base attenuate to cuneate, not auriculate, margins entire or dentate.

Racemes

elongated in fruit;

rachis puberulent, trichomes straight or curved.

much-elongated in fruit;

rachis pubescent, trichomes curved, with fewer and longer, straight ones.

Flowers

sepals suborbicular to oblong, 0.8–1.5 × 0.7–1.2 mm;

petals white, suborbicular, 2.2–3.5(4) × 1.5–2.5 mm, claw 0.7–1.5 mm;

stamens 6;

filaments 1.5–2.5 mm, (glabrous);

anthers 0.3–0.4 mm.

sepals oblong, 0.8–1 × 0.2–0.4 mm;

petals (sometimes absent), white, oblanceolate, 0.4–1.6 × 0.1–0.8 mm, claw absent;

stamens 2, median;

filaments 0.8–1 mm;

anthers 0.1–0.2 mm.

Fruiting pedicels

divaricate-ascending to horizontal, usually slightly recurved or somewhat sigmoid, rarely straight, (not winged), (3–)3.5–7.5(–8) × 0.2–0.3 mm, puberulent adaxially.

usually divaricate, rarely horizontal, straight or slightly recurved, (terete), (2.5–)3–4.1(–4.7) × 0.2 mm, puberulent adaxially.

Fruits

broadly ovate, 2–3.5(–4) × 1.8–2.6(–3) mm, apically winged, apical notch 0.1–0.2mm deep;

valves thin, smooth, not veined, glabrous;

style (0.2–)0.3–0.6(–0.7) mm, exserted beyond apical notch.

elliptic-obovate to obovate-orbicular, 2.4–3.2 × 1.8–2.5 mm, apically winged, apical notch 0.2–0.5 mm deep;

valves thin, smooth, not veined, sparsely puberulent, (trichomes often antrorsely appressed, sometimes restricted to margin);

style 0.05–0.1 mm, included in apical notch.

Seeds

(dark brown), ovate, 1.4–1.8 × 0.8–1.1 mm.

ovate, 1.4–1.6 × 0.7–0.9 mm.

Lepidium eastwoodiae

Lepidium austrinum

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering Mar–Jun.
Habitat Pinyon-juniper, sagebrush, or mixed desert shrub communities Disturbed grounds, railroad tracks and embankments, fields, knolls, stream banks, waste areas, open banks, roadsides, sandy terraces
Elevation 900-2200 m (3000-7200 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
KS; LA; MS; NM; OK; TX; Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

C. L. Hitchcock (1936) and R. C. Rollins (1993) reduced Lepidium eastwoodiae to a variety of L. montanum and L. alyssoides, respectively. However, the differences in morphology and flowering periods support its recognition as an independent species.

We have not examined the holotype of Lepidium moabense and follow N. H. Holmgren (2005b) in reducing it to synonymy of L. eastwoodiae.

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

Source FNA vol. 7, p. 581. FNA vol. 7, p. 576.
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. didymum, L. draba, 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. 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. sativum, L. sordidum, L. strictum, L. thurberi, L. tiehmii, L. virginicum
Synonyms L. alyssoides var. eastwoodiae, L. moabense, L. montanum var. eastwoodiae L. austrinum var. orbiculare, L. lasiocarpum var. orbiculare
Name authority Wooton: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 25: 258. (1898) Small: Fl. S.E. U.S., 468, 1331. (1903)
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