Scientific Family
Brassicaceae
Other common names
peppergrass
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual or perennial
Height
Up to 2 feet
Riparian
No
A plant with smooth or hairy stems that can be annual, biennial, or perennial. Its most identifiable characteristic is its raceme.
Minute hairs; basal leaves withered at flowering; stem leaves tapering toward the stem; stamens 2; rounded, flattened fruits without hairs, widest at the middle, not veined, notched at their apex distinguish this from other Lepidium sp.
Habitat
Prefers dry, generally open, areas.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
0
High elevation
6900
Flower Characteristics
Flowers are small, have 4 petals in clusters, and are borne either laterally or terminally on the stems.
Flower color
White
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
May
Last bloom month
November
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
The stem leaves are narrow and coarsely toothed while the basal leaves are pinnatifid with 1 large terminal lobe and several smaller lobes.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Pinnatifid
Leaf margin
Lobed
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Seed capsules are shallow, notched and have 2 valves with 1 seed in each.
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit color
Dark brown
Seeds are egg shaped with 1 edge that is straight and the other slightly rounded.