Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Lepidium africanum
Common name
Common peppercress, Rubble peppercress
Family
Brassicaceae
Where found
Woodland, grassy areas, disturbed sites, and moist places. Widespread.
Notes
Introduced annual, biennial, or perennial herb to 0.7 m tall. Stems smooth, hairless. Leaves basal and alternating up the stems, hairless, tips pointed. Basal leaves 2-8 cm long, toothed, sometimes dissected. Stem leaves smaller, to 6 cm long, to 5 mm wide, toothed or entire. Flowers with 4 sepals about 0.8 mm long, and 4 white petals, shorter than the sepals. Flowers in an unbranched cluster up the stem which elongates in seed. Flowers most of the year. Seed cases oval, 2–3 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide, with narrow wings in the upper half, tips notched. (needs a hand lens or a macro app on your phone/tablet to see.) Stalks of seed cases 2–3 mm long, more or less flattened, hairy with fine hairs above, curved.
PlantNET description: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Lepidium~africanum (accessed 17 January, 2021)
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