Lepidium

Primary tabs

Lepidium

Description

Annual or perennial, small to medium-sized herbs or subshrubs with taproot, often finely pubescent with simple hairs. Leaves membranous or coriaceous, simple to imparipinnatipartite. Sepals elliptic, not saccate, greenish. Petals usually whitish, somewhat longer or shorter than the sepals, or often lacking. Stamens 6, 4, or 2, median and/or lateral ones reduced; Ovary flat, dorsiventrally compressed, elliptic in outline, ovules 2. Fruit a silicula, dehiscent, flat, strongly compressed, narrowly septate, usually orbicular to elliptic in outline, winged (especially distally) or not, with the short style as an apical notch. Seeds single in each locule, very finely reticulate, mucilaginous, usually reddish brown, rather flat, elliptic to obovate in outline, sometimes narrowly and unilaterally winged.

Distribution

worldwide present
Worldwide; a number of the c. 150 spp. are cosmopolitan weeds.

Citation

P.ROYEN 1982 – In: Mt. Fl. New Guinea: 2014
ENDL. 1839: Gen. Pl.: 879
SCHULZ 1936 – In: E. & P., Nat. Pfl. Fam., ed. 2, 17b: 407
THELL. 1906: Die Gattung Lepidium
HEWSON 1982 – In: Brunonia: 73
LINNÉ 1754: Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 291
PRANTL 1891 – In: E. & P., Nat. Pfl. Fam. III: 160
SCHULZ 1936 – In: E. & P., Nat. Pfl. Fam., ed. 2, 17b: 410
B. & H. 1862 – In: Gen. Pl.: 87
BAILLON 1871 – In: Hist. Pl.: 284