Scientific Family
Brassicaceae
Synonyms
Lepidium alyssoides, Lepidium albiflorum, Lepidium corymbosum, Lepidium lasiocarpum var. cinereum and more. See SEINET.
Other common names
mountain pepperweed
Montana pepperweed (see USDA Plants)
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Biennial or perennial
Height
1-1/2 to 27-1/2 inches
Riparian
Yes
Grows from a taproot and sometimes a woody base. Stems usually several, erect to ascending, often branched above the base. Herbage may or may not be hairy; pungent, watery sap.
Short, spreading, rounded form; wider than tall. Leaves near base divided into several toothed lobes, leaves further up on the stem shorter and often undivided. Distinctive small, round, flat seed pods and small white 4-petaled flowers.
Habitat
Found in pinyon juniper woodlands, sagebrush and other shrub communities, rocky hillsides and crevices, spring seepages, washes, gypseous grounds, sandstone cliffs, limestone gravel, playas, knolls, gumbo hills, sandy areas, alkaline flats.
Plant Community
Riparian
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
7500
Flower Characteristics
Small white flowers in terminal congested flower heads that are much-elongated in fruit; sepals 4, oblong to broadly ovate, <1/16 inch long; petals 4 in a cross formation.
Flower color
White
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Basal leaves form distinct rosettes on stems to 2-3/4 inches long; leaves alternate, short-stemmed or without a stem; blades 1 to 2-1/2 inches long, rarely undivided; lobe margins entire or toothed with points directed outward. Herbage may be hairy.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Pinnatifid
Leaf margin
Toothed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Seed pods ovate to nearly round, rarely oblong, 1/16 to 1/4 inch wide, with a small notch at the tip.
Fruit type
Pod
Oblong, 1/16 inch long.