Lepidium virginicum subsp. virginicum

Family: Brassicaceae · Type: annual · Native

Virginia pepper-grass is a California native annual found in the Sierra Nevada, Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, Great Basin, and Desert regions in disturbed sites, grassy areas, and fields at elevations of 200 to 2,900 meters. Flowering from March to September, this plant produces white flowers in small, delicate clusters. Growing with slender stems 10 to 40 centimeters tall, it forms compact or spreading clusters. Its small leaves are varied, with lower leaves often lobed or deeply toothed while upper leaves become more narrow and entire. The fruit is small, cylindrical, and glabrous, characteristic of its genus.

Habitat: Disturbed sites, grassy areas, fields

Bloom period: Mar-Sep

Elevation: 200-2900 m

Bioregions: SNH, TR, PR, GB, D

California counties: Los Angeles, Tuolumne, San Diego, El Dorado, Alpine, Fresno, Mariposa

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.