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mesa pepperwort

narrow-leaf pepper-grass, roadside pepper-grass, roadside pepperweed, stinking pepper-weed

Habit Annuals, biennials, or perennials; (base woody); glabrous or pubescent. Annuals or biennials; (fetid); puberulent (trichomes cylindrical).
Stems

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

simple from base, erect ascending, branched (several) distally, (0.5–)1–3.5(–5.5) 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.

rosulate;

petiole 1–3.2(–5.3) cm;

blade (1- or) 2- or 3-pinnatisect (lobes oblong), (1.5–)3–5(–7.2) cm, margins (of lobes) usually entire, rarely 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.

sessile;

blade linear, (0.4–)1–2(–3) cm × 0.5–2.5(–3.5) mm, base cuneate, not auriculate, margins entire.

Racemes

elongated in fruit;

rachis puberulent, trichomes straight or curved.

considerably elongated in fruit;

rachis puberulent, trichomes straight, cylindrical.

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, 0.5–0.9(–1) × 0.2–0.4 mm;

petals (absent or rudimentary), white, linear, 0.2–0.5 × 0.1 mm, claw absent;

stamens 2, median;

filaments 0.7–0.8 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.

divaricate to horizontal, straight, (terete), (1.5–)2–4(–5) × 0.1–0.15 mm, puberulent.

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, (1.5–)1.8–2.5(–3) × 1.5–2(–2.3) mm, apically winged, apical notch 0.1–0.2 mm deep;

valves thin, smooth, not veined, glabrous;

style obsolete or to 0.1 mm, included in apical notch.

Seeds

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

oblong to ovate-oblong, 1–1.5 × 0.6–0.8 mm.

2n

= 16, 32.

Lepidium eastwoodiae

Lepidium ruderale

Phenology Flowering Jul–Sep. Flowering Apr–Jul.
Habitat Pinyon-juniper, sagebrush, or mixed desert shrub communities Fields, pastures, waste places, roadsides, gardens
Elevation 900-2200 m (3000-7200 ft) 0-300 m (0-1000 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; NM; UT
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; DE; FL; IN; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; NC; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; TN; TX; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; Eurasia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in South America, Australia]
[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. 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. 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. 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. sativum, L. sordidum, L. strictum, L. thurberi, L. tiehmii, L. virginicum
Synonyms L. alyssoides var. eastwoodiae, L. moabense, L. montanum var. eastwoodiae L. texanum, L. virginicum subsp. texanum
Name authority Wooton: Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 25: 258. (1898) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 645. (1753)
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