''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family,

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The leav ...

. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.''Lepidium''.
Flora of North America. It includes familiar species such as

garden cress Cress (''Lepidium sativum''), sometimes referred to as garden cress (or curly cress) to distinguish it from similar plants also referred to as cress (from old Germanic ''cresso'' which means sharp, spicy), is a rather fast-growing, edible herb. ...

maca MACA or maca can mean: * Maca (plant) Places Geography * Maca District, Peru * Cerro Macá, stratovolcano in the Aisén Region of Chile * Maca River, Romania Outer space * 5228 Máca, a minor planet People * Alain Maca (born 1950), Belgia ...

, and dittander. General

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contrast ...

s include peppercress, peppergrass, pepperweed, and pepperwort. Some species form

tumbleweed A tumbleweed is a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of a number of species of plants. It is a diaspore that, once mature and dry, detaches from its root or stem and rolls due to the force of the wind. In most such species, the tumbl ...

s. page 210 The genus name ''Lepidium'' is a Greek word meaning 'small scale', which is thought to be derived from a folk medicine usage of the plant to treat

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria '' Mycobacterium leprae'' or '' Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve dam ...

, which cause small scales on the skin. Another meaning is related to the small scale-like fruit.Sia Morhardt and Emil Morhardt

Diversity

There are about 175 to 220 species in the genus. 10 species are found in California. Species include: * '' Lepidium africanum'' * ''

Lepidium amelum ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium armoracia ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium apetalum ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 20 Dec 2011
/ref> * '' Lepidium arbuscula'' * '' Lepidium banksii'' * '' Lepidium barnebyanum'' * ''

Lepidium biplicatum ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium bonariense ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium campestre'' – field pepperwort, field cress * ''

Lepidium catapycnon ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium coronopus'' – swine cress * '' Lepidium davisii'' – Davis' peppergrass * ''

Lepidium densiflorum ''Lepidium densiflorum'' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers ...

'' – common pepperweed * '' Lepidium desvauxii'' – bushy peppercress * '' Lepidium dictyotum'' * '' Lepidium didymum'' * ''

Lepidium draba ''Lepidium draba'', the whitetop or hoary cress, or Thanet cress, is a rhizomatous perennial flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is native to western Asia and southeastern Europe and widely introduced elsewhere. Description Whitet ...

'' – hoary cress * '' Lepidium drummondii'' * '' Lepidium echinatum'' * '' Lepidium ecuadoriense'' * ''

Lepidium englerianum ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium fasciculatum'' – bundled peppercress * '' Lepidium flavum'' * ''

Lepidium flexicaule ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium foliosum'' – leafy peppercress * '' Lepidium fremontii'' – desert pepperweed * '' Lepidium genistoides'' * ''

Lepidium ginninderrense ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium graminifolium ''Lepidium graminifolium'', the grassleaf pepperweed, is a species of annual herb in the family Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as ...

'' * ''

Lepidium howei-insulae '' Lepidium howei-insulae '', commonly known as mustard & cress, is a flowering plant in the mustard and cabbage family. The specific epithet alludes to Lord Howe Island, where it is found. Description It is a perennial subshrub, sometimes with ...

'' – mustard & cress * '' Lepidium hypenantion'' * ''

Lepidium hyssopifolium ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium heterophyllum ''Lepidium heterophyllum'', (Smith's cress or Smith's pepperwort), is a species of flowering plant in the Brassicaceae, mustard family which is native to parts of western Europe, growing in shingle banks, wasteland or cultivated fields. Descript ...

'' – Smith's pepperwort, Smith's cress * '' Lepidium jaredii'' – Jared's pepperweed * '' Lepidium lasiocarpum'' * ''

Lepidium latifolium ''Lepidium latifolium'', known by several common names including perennial pepperweed, broadleaved pepperweed, pepperwort, or peppergrass, dittander, dittany, and tall whitetop, is a perennial plant that is a member of the mustard and cabbage fa ...

'' – pepperweed, dittander * ''

Lepidium latipes ''Lepidium latipes'' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name San Diego pepperweed. It is native to California and Baja California, where it grows in alkaline soils in a number of habitat types. Descripti ...

'' * '' Lepidium lyratogynum'' * ''

Lepidium merrallii ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium meyenii'' (syn. ''L. peruvianum'') – maca * '' Lepidium monoplocoides'' – winged peppercress * ''

Lepidium montanum ''Lepidium montanum'' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names mountain pepperweed, mountain peppergrass, mountain pepperwort, and mountain pepperplant. It is native to western North America from Oregon to M ...

'' – western pepperweed, mountain pepperweed * '' Lepidium nanum'' – dwarf pepperweed * ''

Lepidium nesophilum '' Lepidium nesophilum '' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard and cabbage family that is endemic to the subtropical Lord Howe Island in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. It is a perennial herb or subshrub found on bas ...

'' * ''

Lepidium nitidum ''Lepidium nitidum'', known by the common name shining pepperweed, is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family. It is native to far western North America from Washington, through Nevada and California, into Baja California. It thriv ...

'' – shining pepperweed * ''

Lepidium oblongum ''Lepidium oblongum'' is a widespread North American species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name veiny pepperweed. It is native to Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and the western and south-central United States (fro ...

'' * ''

Lepidium oleraceum ''Lepidium oleraceum'' is a herb in the family Brassicaceae, endemic to New Zealand. Its English common name is Cook's scurvy grass; Māori names include nau, ngau, naunau and heketara. Its specific epithet ''oleraceum'' means "vegetable/herb ...

'' – Cook's scurvy grass (near extinct) * '' Lepidium oxycarpum'' – forked pepperweed * '' Lepidium oxytrichum'' * '' Lepidium papilliferum'' – slickspot peppergrass * ''

Lepidium papillosum ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium pedicellosum ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium peregrinum'' * '' Lepidium perfoliatum'' * '' Lepidium peruvianum'' * '' Lepidium phlebopetalum'' * '' Lepidium pholidogynum'' * ''

Lepidium pinnatifidum ''Lepidium pinnatifidum'' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known in English by the common name featherleaf pepperweed. Distribution The plant is native to Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East.Űnal, M., et al. (2007)A ...

'' * ''

Lepidium platypetalum ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium pseudohyssopifolium'' * '' Lepidium pseudoruderale'' * '' Lepidium pseudotasmanicum'' * ''

Lepidium puberulum ''Lepidium puberulum'' is an annual herb in the family Brassicaceae, endemic to the west coast of Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Au ...

'' * ''

Lepidium quitense ''Lepidium quitense'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It occurs only in Ecuador. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed hab ...

'' * '' Lepidium rotundum'' – veined peppercress * ''

Lepidium ruderale ''Lepidium ruderale'' is species of flowering plants in the mustard or cabbage family, Brassicaceae. It is native to temperate Asia and northern and eastern Europe. It has also naturalized in southwestern Europe and North America N ...

'' – narrow-leaved pepperwort * '' Lepidium sagittulatum'' * ''

Lepidium sativum Cress (''Lepidium sativum''), sometimes referred to as garden cress (or curly cress) to distinguish it from similar plants also referred to as cress (from old Germanic ''cresso'' which means sharp, spicy), is a rather fast-growing, edible herb. ...

'' – garden cress * '' Lepidium scandens'' * '' Lepidium squamatum'' * '' Lepidium strictum'' * '' Lepidium thurberi'' – Thurber's peppergrass, Thurber's pepperweed * ''

Lepidium virginicum ''Lepidium virginicum'', also known as least pepperwort or Virginia pepperweed, is an herbaceous plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). It is native to much of North America, including most of the United States and Mexico and southern regio ...

'' – Virginia peppercress * ''

Lepidium xylodes ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Species Profile: Hairy Whitetop (''Lepidium appelianum'').
National Invasive Species Information Center, United States National Agricultural Library. Brassicaceae genera Tumbleweeds {{Brassicales-stub