Oval Shepherd's Purse

Extremely variable in plant size, indumentum, number and shape of leaf divisions, fruit shape and size, and seed number per fruit. More than 40 synonyms exist. Other synonyms probably include Lepidium chinense Stokes (Bot. Mater. Med. 3: 429. 1812), not Franchet (1883) and Nasturtium sinense (Desvaux) de Candolle (Syst. Nat. 2: 699. 1821). The latter is based on Hutchinsia sinensis Desvaux (J. Bot. Agric. 3: 168. 1815), a name proposed to replace Lepidium petraeum Loureiro (Fl. Cochinch. 2: 479. 1793), not Linnaeus (1753).

Herbs annual, (2-)5-22(-30) cm tall, glabrous throughout or puberulent with minutely forked trichomes. Stems erect, ascending, or decumbent, branched at base or rarely simple. Basal leaves rosulate or not; petiole (2-)5-12(-20) mm; leaf blade obovate, oblanceolate, or oblong, (0.2-)1-2.5(-4) cm × (1-)5-11(-16) mm, base cuneate or attenuate, margin entire, dentate, or pinnatifid, apex acute or obtuse. Cauline leaves similar to basal ones, progressively smaller and subsessile upward. Racemes few to several flowered; rachis straight or slightly flexuous in fruit. Fruiting pedicels slender, divaricate, 3-8(-12) mm. Sepals ovate, 0.6-1.1 × 0.4-0.6 mm. Petals white, spatulate, 0.6-1.2 × 0.3-0.6 mm. Filaments white, 0.5-1 mm; anthers ovate, ca. 0.1 mm. Ovules 10-24 per ovary. Fruit oblong, elliptic, or obovate, (2-)3-4(-4.5) × (1-)1.4-2.2 mm, apex subtruncate to slightly emarginate; valves glabrous, with prominent reticulate veins; style obsolete or to 0.1 mm. Seeds brown, oblong, plump, 0.5-0.6 × 0.3-0.4 mm. Fl. and fr. Apr-Jul. 2n = 12, 24.

Deserts, disturbed habitats, slopes. Xinjiang [Afghanistan, India, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; N Africa, SW Asia, Europe, North America; introduced elsewhere].

Lepidium procumbens Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 643. 1753; Capsella procumbens (Linnaeus) Fries; Hutchinsia procumbens (Linnaeus) Desvaux; Hymenolobus procumbens (Linnaeus) Nuttall ex Torrey & A. Gray.

Hornungia procumbens is a species of herb native to the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere. Common names include oval purse, slenderweed and prostrate hutchinsia.