Higher classification Lepidium | Scientific name Lepidium densiflorum Rank Species | |
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Similar Lepidium, Lepidium ruderale, Cabbage family, Lepidium campestre, Lepidium perfoliatum | ||
Lepidium densiflorum is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names common pepperweed and prairie peppergrass.
It is a common and widespread plant in North America, where it grows in many habitats across Canada and the United States. It grows easily in disturbed sites and it is considered a weed in some areas.
Description
Lepidium densiflorum is an annual or biennial herb producing a short, erect, branching stem up to about 30 centimeters in height. Leaves grow in a basal rosette at the base of the stem and reach up to about 10 centimeters long; leaves higher up on the stem are smaller and less prominently lobed.
The plant produces raceme inflorescences of tiny flowers with sepals each only about a millimeter long. There are usually no petals, though sometimes vestigial petals appear near the sepals.
The fruit is a few millimeters long.
