Question: My first instinct when I saw this plant was to call it Shepherd's Purse, but then I noticed the seed …
-
Question
My first instinct when I saw this plant was to call it Shepherd's Purse, but then I noticed the seed capsule were not heart-shaped. Going through the Brasicaceae, I paused at Iberis amara, but it wasn't documented in my area. Next, I paused in Lepidium, feeling most positive about L. Virginicum, or Poor-man's Pepperweed, though the last photo shows leaves I didn't notice on my plant.
Answer
chaffeemonell, it appears you have photographed Lepidium virginicum. The silicles (i.e., fruits) of this genus are not the classic obtriangular found in Capsella, so you were right and perceptive to move on from that. Lepidium virginicum is the most common species in the genus with us, and is frequent in disturbed and agricultural soils.
