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Taxon  Report  
Lepidium lasiocarpum  Nutt.
Shaggyfruit pepperweed
Lepidium lasiocarpum is an annual herb that is native to California, and also found elsewhere in western North America.
Siskiyou Del Norte Modoc Humboldt Shasta Lassen Trinity Plumas Tehama Butte Mendocino Glenn Sierra Yuba Lake Nevada Colusa Placer Sutter El Dorado Yolo Alpine Napa Sonoma Sacramento Mono Amador Solano Calaveras Tuolumne San Joaquin Marin Contra Costa Alameda Santa Cruz Mariposa Madera San Francisco San Mateo Merced Fresno Stanislaus Santa Clara Inyo San Benito Tulare Kings Monterey San Bernardino San Luis Obispo Kern Santa Barbara Ventura Los Angeles Riverside Orange San Diego Imperial
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Bloom Period
Subspecies and Varieties:
Genus: Lepidium
Family: Brassicaceae  
Category: angiosperm  
PLANTS group:Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Habitat: coastal

Communities: Coastal Strand, Coastal Sage Scrub, Shadscale Scrub, Creosote Bush Scrub, Valley Grassland

Name Status:
Accepted by PLANTS

Information about  Lepidium lasiocarpum from other sources
Nursery availability from CNPLX
Commercial availability unknown.
USDA PLANTS Profile (LELA)

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ID Tips on PlantID.net

[swbiodiversity.org/] Traits, Ethnobotany, Etymology: Lepidium is a genus in the mustard family with distinctive small, round, flat seed pods and small white flowers. The primary characteristic that distinguishes L. lasiocarpum from other similar species is its flattened, hairy fruiting pedicels (use your hand lens). It is also distinguished by this combination of traits: plants are taprooted annuals; stems and leaves are hirsute to hispid but not covered with scurfy scales; upper stem leaves are sessile to short-petiolate but not clasping the stem; racemes are erect and located at branch tips; flowers have only 2 stamens; seed pods are hairy, at least on the margins, and are not wrinkled. Ethnobotany: Plant used as a disinfectant; seeds were gathered, ground, parched, and eaten in a variety of ways. Etymology: Lepidium comes from the Greek lepidion, meaning "a little scale," in reference to the flattened shape of the seed pods; lasiocarpum means having woolly seeds or fruits. (contributed by Mary Ann Machi)


Suggested Citation
Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2024. Berkeley, California: The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/   (Accessed: 03/28/2024).