| Lepidium densiflorum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Brassicaceae |
| Genus: | Lepidium |
| Species: | L. densiflorum |
| Binomial name | |
| Lepidium densiflorum Schrad. |
|
Lepidium densiflorum is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names common pepperweed and prairie peppergrass. It is a common and widespread plant in North America, where it grows in many habitats across Canada and the United States. It grows easily in disturbed sites and it is considered a weed in some areas.
This is an annual or biennial herb producing a short, erect, branching stem up to about 30 centimeters in height. Leaves grow in a basal rosette at the base of the stem and reach up to about 10 centimeters long; leaves higher up on the stem are smaller and less prominently lobed. The plant produces raceme inflorescences of tiny flowers with sepals each only about a millimeter long. There are usually no petals, though sometimes vestigial petals appear near the sepals. The fruit is a few millimeters long.