Lepidium ruderale L.

Lepidium species are annual or perennial herbs or rarely undershrubs, glabrous or pubescent with simple or branched hairs, not scapose. Rootstocks slender, taproot. Stem erect, ascending, rarely decumbent or procumbent, leafy, simple or usually branched, glabrous or pubescent. Basal leaves simple, rarely absent, rosulate or not, linear lanceolate to oblong, base cuneate to attenuate, margin entire to pinnatifid, apex acute to obtuse, petiole short to sessile, cauline leaves usually similar but smaller, base auriculate or not, petiole subsessile to sessile. Inflorescence raceme corymbs, few to many flowered, elongated or not in fruit, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, white, yellow, pink, pedicel erect, divaricate, stout, slender, ascending, sepals 4, ovate-oblong, usually deciduous or sometimes persistent, lateral pair base not saccate, apex obtuse, petals 4, sometimes rudimentary, obovate-oblong to orbicular, base cuneate, margins entire, apex obtuse or emarginated, claw distinct or absent. Stamens 2 or 4, in equal length, median or lateral, or 6 tetradynamous, filaments not dilated near the base, anthers ovate-oblong, nectar glands 4 to 6, median glands usually present. Ovary superior, sessile, ellipsoid-cylindrical, bicarpellary, ovules 2. Fruit silicula, dehiscent, ovate-obovate to orbicular-obovoid, terete, angustiseptate, compressed, keeled or rounded at the back, valves prominent or not veined, glabrous or pubescent, replum rounded, septum complete, membranous, style obsolete, stigma capitate, entire or rarely bilobed. Seeds 1-2, each in a locule, brown, compressed or flattened, ovate-ovoid, winged, smooth minutely reticulate, nicely mucilaginous when soaked, cotyledons usually incumbent.

Lepidium species flowers are complete, bisexual, i.e., with functional male (androecium) and female (gynoecium), including stamens, carpels and ovary. Pollination is entomophilous i.e., by insects, or cleistogamy i.e., by self or allogamy i.e., by cross pollination. Flowering/Fruiting: April—August.

Seeds may be dispersed by autochory i.e., self dispersal, anemochory i.e., wind dispersal, zoochory i.e., dispersal by birds or animals, anthropochory i.e., dispersal by humans.

Annual or biennial herbs, fetid, about 10-40 cm tall. Rootstocks slender, taproot. Stem erect, ascending, woody, usually simple at the base and diffusely branched above, glabrous or finely pubescent with papillate trichomes. Basal radical leaves simple in rosulate, lanceolate-elliptic in outline, about 3-7 x 0.8-2 cm across, deeply dissected into bipinnate narrow linear lobes, apex lobe subacute, petiole about 1-3 cm long, cauline leaves gradually smaller, linear oblong-lanceolate, about 1.5-4 x 0.4-1.3 cm across, base cuneate not auriculate, margins entire or coarsely dentate, apex acute to subobtuse, petiole sessile. Inflorescence raceme corymbs, both terminal and axillary, many flowered, considerably elongated in fruit, up to 15 cm long in fruit, glabrous or puberulent with trichomes, ebracteate. Flowers bisexual, cream white, pedicel erect, divaricate, slender, ascending, puberulent, about 2-4 mm long in fruit, sepals 4, ovate-oblong, caducous, usually deciduous, margins white, apex obtuse, glabrous or puberulent with papillate trichomes, about 0.6-0.9 x 0.2-0.4 mm across, petals 4, rudimentary or, linear, base narrowed, margins entire, apex rounded, about 0.2-0.4 x 0.1 mm long, claw absent. Stamens 2, filaments not dilated near the base, about 0.75 mm long, anthers ovate about 0.1-0.2 mm long. Ovary superior, sessile, bicarpellary, ovules 2. Fruit silicula, dehiscent, broadly ovate-elliptic, terete, angustiseptate, about 1.5-2.5 x 1.5-2 mm across, compressed, apex emarginate, apically narrowly winged, glabrous, valves thin, smooth, style short included with the apical notch. Seeds brown, slightly compressed or flattened, oblong-ovoid, not winged, about 1-1.5 x 0.7 mm across, smooth minutely reticulate, nicely mucilaginous when soaked, and cotyledons incumbent.

Lepidium species are susceptible to various insect pests, virus, mildews and moulds.

Notes: Western Ghats & Eastern Ghats, Naturalized, Native of Mediterranean Region

Roadsides, near cultivated fields and pastures, altitude up to 1000 m.

Not evaluated (IUCN).

Whole plant used in traditional medicine to treat skin problems.