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

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older but equally valid) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important Family (biology), family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous pla ...

. 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 English ''cresse''), is a rather fast-growing, edible herb. Garden cress is genetica ...

maca Maca is an edible plant endemic to the Andes. MACA or maca can mean: Places * Maca District, Peru * Cerro Macá, stratovolcano in the Aisén Region of Chile * Maca River, Romania * Alicante Museum of Contemporary Art (), Spain People * Alain ...

, 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 con ...

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 from

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

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 Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

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

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online taxonomic database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. History Following the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew launched Plants of the World Online i ...

accepts 265 species in the genus. 10 species are found in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. Species include: * ''

Lepidium africanum ''Lepidium africanum'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual or perennial which ranges from Saudi Arabia and Sudan to southern Africa. References {{Taxonbar, from=Q15430578 africanum This lis ...

'' * ''

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 amissum ''Lepidium amissum'', also known as Waitakere scurvy grass, is an extinct species of plant in the family Brassicaceae. The plant was first described by Peter de Lange and Peter Brian Heenan in 2013, and was formerly endemic to the sea cliffs o ...

'' - Waitakere scurvy grass (New Zealand); extinct * ''

Lepidium aretioides ''Lepidium aretioides'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Brassicaceae. It is a subshrub native to eastern Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at th ...

'' * ''

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 arbuscula'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names ''`anaunau'' and Waianae Range pepperwort. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known only from the Waianae Mountains on the island of Oa ...

'' * ''

Lepidium aschersonii ''Lepidium aschersonii'', also known as spiny peppercress, is a species of plant in the cabbage family. It is native to mainland southern Australia. Description The species grows as a perennial herb up to about 30 cm in height. It has int ...

'' – spiny peppercress * ''

Lepidium banksii ''Lepidium banksii'', known as coastal peppercress, is a rare species of flowering plant from the family Brassicaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand, formerly found around the coast of the northern South Island but now critically endangered. Di ...

'' * ''

Lepidium barnebyanum ''Lepidium barnebyanum'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae known by the common names Barneby's pepperweed, Barneby's pepper-grass, and Barneby's ridge-cress. It is endemic to Utah, where there is a single population ...

'' * ''

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 ''Lepidium campestre'', the field pepperwort, field peppercress, field peppergrass, field pepperweed or field cress, is usually a biennial with some form of annual plant in the Brassicaceae or mustard family, native to Europe, but commonly found ...

'' – 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 ''Lepidium coronopus'', (swine cress, creeping wart cress, or greater swine cress), is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family which is native to parts of Africa, western Asia and Europe, growing in shingle banks, wasteland or cultivat ...

'' – swine cress * ''

Lepidium davisii ''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 densiflorum ''Lepidium densiflorum'' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names common pepperweed, prairie peppergrass, elongate peppergrass, hairy-fruited peppergrass, and large-fruited peppergrass. It is a common and w ...

'' – common pepperweed * '' Lepidium desvauxii'' – bushy peppercress * '' Lepidium dictyotum'' * '' Lepidium didymum'' * '' Lepidium draba'' – hoary cress * '' Lepidium drummondii'' * '' Lepidium echinatum'' * '' Lepidium ecuadoriense'' * '' Lepidium englerianum'' * '' Lepidium fasciculatum'' – bundled peppercress * ''

Lepidium flavum ''Lepidium flavum'' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name yellow pepperweed. It is native to California, Nevada, and Baja California, where it grows in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts. The species epithet ...

'' * '' Lepidium flexicaule'' * '' Lepidium foliosum'' – leafy peppercress * ''

Lepidium fremontii ''Lepidium fremontii'', the desert pepperweed, is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family which is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows on sandy desert flats and the rocky slopes of nearby hills and mountains. It ta ...

'' – desert pepperweed * '' Lepidium genistoides'' * '' Lepidium ginninderrense'' * '' Lepidium graminifolium'' * '' Lepidium howei-insulae'' – mustard & cress * '' Lepidium hypenantion'' * '' Lepidium hyssopifolium'' * '' Lepidium heterophyllum'' – 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 lyratogynum'' * '' Lepidium merrallii'' *''

Lepidium medocinense ''Lepidium medocinense'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the family Brassicaceae. It is a subshrub native to Mendoza and Neuquén provinces of northern Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in ...

'' * ''

Lepidium meyenii ''Lepidium meyenii'', known as maca or Peruvian ginseng, is an edible herbaceous biennial plant of the family Brassicaceae that is native to South America in the high Andes mountains of Peru and Bolivia. It was rediscovered for commercial purpos ...

'' (syn. ''L. peruvianum'') – maca * '' Lepidium monoplocoides'' – winged peppercress * '' Lepidium montanum'' – western pepperweed, mountain pepperweed * '' Lepidium nanum'' – dwarf pepperweed * '' Lepidium nesophilum'' * '' Lepidium nitidum'' – shining pepperweed * '' Lepidium oblongum'' * ''

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/herba ...

'' – Cook's scurvy grass (near extinct) * ''

Lepidium oxycarpum ''Lepidium oxycarpum'' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names forked pepperweed and sharp-fruited pepperweed. Distribution It is native to California, and it has been reported in British Columbia and one ...

'' – forked pepperweed * '' Lepidium oxytrichum'' * ''

Lepidium papilliferum ''Lepidium papilliferum'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names Idaho pepperweed and slickspot peppergrass. It is endemic to Idaho in the United States, where it is mostly limited to a specific habit ...

'' – slickspot peppergrass * '' Lepidium papillosum'' – warty peppercress * '' Lepidium pedicellosum'' * '' Lepidium peregrinum'' * '' Lepidium perfoliatum'' * '' Lepidium peruvianum'' * ''

Lepidium phlebopetalum ''Lepidium phlebopetalum'', commonly known as veined peppercress, is a plant of the Brassicaceae family that is endemic to parts of Australia. Description The annual or perennial herbaceous plants are tall or have a sprawling habitat. The ...

'' * '' Lepidium pholidogynum'' * '' Lepidium pinnatifidum'' * ''

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 quitense'' * ''

Lepidium rotundum ''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 ruderale'' – narrow-leaved pepperwort * '' Lepidium sagittulatum'' * '' Lepidium sativum'' – garden cress * '' Lepidium scandens'' * '' Lepidium squamatum'' * '' Lepidium strictum'' * ''

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

'' – Virginia peppercress * '' Lepidium xylodes''

References

External links

* *
Species Profile: Hairy Whitetop (''Lepidium appelianum'').
National Invasive Species Information Center,

United States National Agricultural Library The United States National Agricultural Library (NAL) is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries, and serves as a national library of the United States and as the library of the United States Department of Agriculture. Locate ...

. Brassicaceae genera Tumbleweeds Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus {{Brassicales-stub

Species

See also

References

External links