Lepidium lasiocarpum subsp. lasiocarpum
Family: Brassicaceae · Type: annual · Native
Lepidium lasiocarpum is a California native annual found in southwestern, western and inner coast ranges, and desert bioregions in dry flats, washes, streambeds, and sagebrush scrub at elevations of 50 to 2,700 meters. Flowering from March to June, this plant produces small white flowers on much-elongated inflorescences with spreading stiff-hairy branches. Growing 6 to 38 centimeters tall with erect to decumbent stems that branch toward the top, it emerges in clusters of one to several plants from the base. Its leaves range from spoon-shaped to oblanceolate, with basal leaves being 1.5 to 4.5 centimeters long and pinnately lobed, while mid-stem leaves are shorter and less divided. The fruit is a flattened ovate pod with a small winged tip, typically 3 to 4 millimeters long and covered in stiff spreading hairs.
Habitat: dry flats, washes, streambeds, roadsides, sagebrush scrub, pinyon/juniper woodland
Bloom period: Mar-Jun
Elevation: 50-2700 m
Bioregions: SW, W&I, D
California counties: San Bernardino, Riverside, Ventura, Inyo, Los Angeles, Imperial, San Diego, Mono, Kern, Marin, Calaveras
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.