Virginia pepperweed
Prepared by Jennifer L. D’Appollonio, Assistant Scientist, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469. Updated February 2018.
Scientific name: Lepidium virginicum L.
Common name(s): Virginia pepperweed, Virginia peppergrass, Virginian peppercress, peppergrass, poor man’s pepper, poorman’s pepperwort, poor-man’s pepperweed
Link(s): USDA PLANTS Profile, NPIN Profile, Go Botany
Images: (to see enlargements [PC]: click on image, then right click and choose “view image”)
-
- end of May
-
- buds and flowers
-
- flowers and seeds
Description:
– annual or biennial
-leaves are:
- simple
- alternate
- entire
– initially forms basal rosette with lobed leaves
– may be confused with L. densiflorum or L. sativum; see left sidebar on Go Botany webpage
Habitat:
-man made disturbed areas
-meadows
-fields
Natural History:
-leaves are edible
-used in salads
Sources:
Go Botany. “Lepidium Virginicum L.” Lepidium Virginicum (Poor-Man’s Pepperweed): Go Botany, 2021, gobotany.nativeplanttrust.org/species/lepidium/virginicum/.