| Lepidium heterophyllum | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Brassicaceae |
| Genus: | Lepidium |
| Species: | L. heterophyllum |
| Binomial name | |
| Lepidium heterophyllum | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Lepidium heterophyllum (Smith's cress or Smith's pepperwort) is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family which is native to parts of western Europe, growing in shingle banks, wasteland or cultivated fields.
Lepidium heterophyllum is similar in form to native Lepidium campestre and especially at the early seedling stage, both have been misidentified in Belgium. [3]
It is a perennial, [4] which can grow between 10–90 cm (3.9–35.4 in) tall. [5] The hirsute (or hairy) stems, [4] are often branched from the base, [5] [4] [6] It has grey-green foliage, [6] that has narrowly triangular, [5] [6] variably toothed, [6] stem leaves which cling to the stem with long pointed auricles. [6] [4] The stem leaves can grow up to 50 mm long. [6] The basal leaves are different, they have long stalks and are strap-shape, [6] or oblong-elliptic. [4] They can often have 1-3 pairs of small but broad sided lobes, they quickly fade at blooming time but can re-grow as the plant goes to seed. [6] It blooms between May and August, [5] or between May and September, in the UK, [6] and between May and July in the US. [4] The very small flowers (2–3.6 mm (0.079–0.142 in) long, [6] ) are on short stalks at right angles to the stem, the plant can have several crowded, parallel-sided flower spikes. [6] The white spatulate (spoon-shaped) petals, [4] are as long as the oblong sepals. [5] and 6 styles, which have a notch. [6] [4] The flower also has stamens with violet anthers. [5] After it has flowered, it produces a fruit capsule, which is oval and smooth, with a distinctive beak at the top. [5] They are (4.5–8.6 mm (0.18–0.34 in) long, [6] and inside are ovoid dark brown seeds. [4]
It was found after a phylogenetic analysis of the DNA of many species of 'Lepidium', that Lepidium heterophyllum, Lepidium hirtum , Lepidium campestre, and Lepidium perfoliatum formed a monophyletic group. [7]
It has been used in experiments growing in soils high in copper content, to determine if the plant could be used to help clean contaminated soils. [8]
It was published and described by George Bentham in 'Cat. Pl. Pyrénées' on page 95 in 1826. [2] [4] [9]
It has one known subspecies; Lepidium heterophyllum subsp. rifanum (Emb. & Maire) J.M.Monts. [2]
The specific epithet heterophyllum, refers to the Greek for 'different leaves'. [10]
It has a few common names including 'Smith's cress' and 'Smith's pepperwort', [11] this is due to the plant once being named Lepidium smithii, by Sir William Hooker, in honour of the botanist, Sir James Edward Smith. [5] This name is now regarded as a synonym. [2] It is also known in the US, as 'purple antherfield pepperwort' [12] [13] [14] The pepperwort name came from plant looking like a 'pepperwort' (Lepidium campestre or other Lepidium species). [5]
Lepidium heterophyllum is native to temperate areas of western Europe. [11] [9] [15]
It is found in Europe within Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. [15]
It is also widely naturalised in other parts of Europe such as Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, Norway and Sweden. As well as Canada, Chile and the United States. [15] It has been recorded as found in British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, New York (state), Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington (state). [4] The records from Maine and Massachusetts are based on old plant collections, and it is not fully known if the plant has become established as part of the weedy flora of those states. [4] In Belgium, it was first recorded in fallow fields between 1881 and 1884 in Egenhoven, and then in 1886 near Bouillon. Later, it was observed in Stokt (in the province of Limburg, Netherlands), in the 19th century. Recently, in 2004 and 2005, it was recorded on gravelly riverbanks of River Maas (which rises in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands to the North Sea). [16]
It is found growing in acidic soils, [1] [16] on hillsides, [4] in shingle, railway ballast and embankments, and, occasionally, in arable fields. [1] [6] [16]
It is normally found at altitudes of 0–425 m (0–1,394 ft) above sea level. [1] [6] [16]
Populations of Lepidium heterophyllum currently are stable, but it seems to be decreasing in S.E. England. [16]
Brassicaceae or Cruciferae is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The leaves are simple, lack stipules, and appear alternately on stems or in rosettes. The inflorescences are terminal and lack bracts. The flowers have four free sepals, four free alternating petals, two shorter free stamens and four longer free stamens. The fruit has seeds in rows, divided by a thin wall.
Lepidium is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia. It includes familiar species such as garden cress, maca, and dittander. General common names include peppercress, peppergrass, pepperweed, and pepperwort. Some species form tumbleweeds. The genus name Lepidium is a Greek word meaning 'small scale', which is thought to be derived from a folk medicine usage of the plant to treat leprosy, which cause small scales on the skin. Another meaning is related to the small scale-like fruit.
Lepidium campestre, the field pepperwort, field peppercress, field peppergrass, field pepperweed or field cress, is usually a biennial with some form of annual plant in the Brassicaceae or mustard family, native to Europe, but commonly found in North America as an invasive weed. The most notable characteristic of field pepperweed is the raceme of flowers which forks off of the stem. These racemes are made up of first small white flowers and later green, flat and oval seedpods each about 6 mm long and 4 mm wide. Each seedpod contains two brown, 2.5 mm long seeds.
Lepidium virginicum, also known as least pepperwort or Virginia pepperweed, is an herbaceous plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). It is native to much of North America, including most of the United States and Mexico and southern regions of Canada, as well as most of Central America. It can be found elsewhere as an introduced species.
Lepidium draba, also known as whitetop, hoary cress, or Thanet cress, is a rhizomatous perennial flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is native to western Asia and southeastern Europe and has been widely introduced elsewhere.
Arabis hirsuta, known as hairy rock-cress, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. In previous North American works, this species has been broadly defined to include plants native to Europe, Asia, and the northern half of North America, but is now more often restricted to a narrower subgroup restricted to Europe.
Coronopus is a synonym for the accepted genus name Lepidium. It was applied to some species of flowering plants in the cabbage and mustard family Brassicaceae known commonly as swinecress or wartcress. These are generally low spreading annual herbaceous plants with many long stems, deeply lobed leaves and small white flowers. They have a strong scent, smelling like garden cress, Lepidium sativum, when crushed. Lepidium squamatus may be native to the Mediterranean but Lepidium didymum may be native to South America. Both species are widespread weedy introduced species in other areas.
Peltaria alliacea, or garlic cress, is a perennial flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is endemic to Albania, Austria, Hungary, Romania and former Yugoslavia. The plant grows up to 60 cm (24 in) and has white flowers from May to July. The plant is glabrous (hairless) with simple, entire leaves. The leaves are ovate, sessile and amplexicaule. When crushed they smell of garlic, hence the common name. The 3–4 mm (0.12–0.16 in) long white petals are shortly clawed. The orbicular, very flat silicula or seed, is pendent and has a size of about 6 by 6 mm. Its chromosome number is 2n=14.
Lepidium densiflorum is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names common pepperweed, prairie peppergrass, elongate peppergrass, hairy-fruited peppergrass, and large-fruited peppergrass.
Lepidium montanum is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names mountain pepperweed, mountain peppergrass, mountain pepperwort, and mountain pepperplant. It is native to western North America from Oregon to Montana to northern Mexico, where it can be found in a number of habitats, often on salty or gravelly soils. There are several varieties, many of which are difficult to distinguish.
Lepidium perfoliatum is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names clasping pepperweed and perfoliate pepperwort. It is native to Europe and Asia and it can be found in other parts of the world as an introduced species.
Lepidium didymum, the lesser swine-cress, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae.
Lepidium dictyotum is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names alkali pepperweed and alkali pepperwort.
Rorippa palustris, marsh yellow-cress, bog yellow-cress or common yellow-cress, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is widespread and native to parts of Africa, and much of Asia, Europe and Eurasia, North America and the Caribbean. It can also be found in other parts of the world as an introduced species and a common weed, for example, in Australia and South America. It is an adaptable plant which grows in many types of damp, wet, and aquatic habitat. It may be an annual, biennial, or perennial plant, and is variable in appearance as well.
Rorippa austriaca is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Austrian yellow-cress and Austrian fieldcress. It is native to parts of Europe and Asia, and it is known in North America as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed. It can grow in disturbed habitat, such as roadsides, and in very wet habitat such as mudflats. It is a perennial herb growing upright to erect, reaching a maximum height near one meter. The branching stem bears hairless blue-green lance-shaped leaves up to 10 centimeters long. The bases of the upper leaves clasp the stem. The inflorescence is a raceme at the top of the stem and the ends of stem branches. The mustardlike flowers have small yellow petals. The fruit is a plump silique a few millimeters long, but many plants do not fruit and seed production is rare. Reproduction in this species is more often vegetative, the plants concentrating their growth in belowground tissue and spreading clonally. The root system of the plant is particularly aggressive, sending up many new plants as it spreads.
Lepidium barnebyanum is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Barneby's pepperweed, Barneby's pepper-grass, and Barneby's ridge-cress. It is endemic to Utah, where there is a single population in Duchesne County. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
Psammophiliella muralis is a species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is known as annual gypsophila, cushion baby's-breath and low baby's-breath, an annual plant principally native to Europe except the British Isles. It can be also found in Central Asia, Turkey, the Caucasus, and Siberia. It is one of two species in genus Psammophiliella.
Lepidium coronopus,, is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family which is native to parts of Africa, western Asia and Europe, growing in shingle banks, wasteland or cultivated fields.
Lepidium graminifolium, the grassleaf pepperweed or tall pepperwort, is a species of annual herb in the family Brassicaceae. They have a self-supporting growth form and simple, broad leaves. Flowers are visited by Ruiziella luctuosa. Individuals can grow to 51 cm tall.
Lepidium phlebopetalum, commonly known as veined peppercress, is a plant of the Brassicaceae family that is endemic to parts of Australia.
