Pepperweed

Very similar to L. ruderale L. but with many branches and more robust, usually 1-pinnatisect basal and lower leaves (not 2-3-pinnatisect), and not with so narrow sepals. L. ruderale with short, (c. 15-20 cm long) simple stem, bearing simple hairs only and crowned by short flowering and fruiting branches, is predominantly an European species,while L. apetalum with comparatively robust, much branched stem and short capitate hairs is an Asian species.

The above first record from Mongolia is based on Chaney 498 (US).

Annual or biennial, up to 30 cm tall, usually branched all over, glabrous or sparsely hairy with short or minute capitate or simple hairs. Basal and lower leaves pinnatisect with short, narrow lobes, 3-5 cm long, about 1 cm broad; uppermost leaves linear or subentire. Sometimes all leaves linear, distantly short-lobed or toothed. Racemes 20-30 (-40)-flowered, ebracteate, up to c. 5 cm long (rarely more) in fruit. Flowers minute, c. 1 mm across; pedicel usually up to c. 3 (-5) mm long in fruit, often becoming subarcuate, filiform. Sepals c. 0.8 mm long, 0.5 mm broad, oblong. Petals absent or rudimentary, c. 0.5 mm long, apex subemarginate. Stamens 2 or 4 only, outer 2 always absent, inner about 0.7 mm long with very minute anthers. Siliculae 2-2.5 mm long, c. 2 mm broad, broadly elliptic, distinctly notched and obscurely or very shortly winged at the apex with almost sessile stigma included within it; septum less than 1 mm broad; seed c. 1 mm long, ovate-oblong, red-brown.

Herbs annual or biennial, (5-)10-25(-40) cm tall, puberulent with clavate or capitate trichomes. Stems erect, branched basally and above. Petiole of basal leaves (0.5-)1-3 cm; leaf blade oblong, lanceolate, or oblanceolate, 1.5-4(-5) × 0.7-1.2(-1.5) cm, pinnatifid, sinuate, or dentate. Upper cauline leaves sessile; leaf blade narrowly lanceolate, linear-oblong, or linear, 0.6-3(-4) cm × 1-3(-5) mm, base subauriculate or sometimes cuneate, margin remotely serrate or entire, apex acute to subobtuse. Fruiting pedicels slender, often recurved, 2-4(-5) mm, puberulent only adaxially with clavate or capitate trichomes, slightly flattened or narrowly winged. Sepals caducous, oblong, 0.7-0.8 × 0.3-0.4 mm, glabrous or puberulent, white at margin and apex. Petals absent, or rudimentary, linear, ca. 0.3 mm. Stamens 2; filaments 0.7-0.8 mm; anthers broadly ovate, 0.1-0.2 mm. Fruit broadly elliptic, 2.2-3.1 × 1.7-2.3 mm, widest at middle, apex narrowly winged; apical notch 0.1-0.3 mm; style 0.05-0.15 mm, included in apical notch. Seeds reddish brown, ovate-oblong, 1.1-1.3 × 0.6-0.8 mm, wingless, finely papillate; cotyledons incumbent. Fl. Apr-Aug, fr. May-Sep.

C. Asia, Himalaya, Tibet. E. Siberia, Mongolia, China.

Distribution: C. Asia, Himalayas and E. Asia.

Anhui, Gansu, Guizhou, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang, Yunnan, Zhejiang [India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan].

2600-4100 m

Fl. Per.: April-June

Roadsides, slopes, waste places, ravines, plains, fields; 400-4800 m.

Lepidium chitungense Jacot.