Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Lepidium virginicum

Naunau (AK)

Peppergrass Weed

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Open this image in pop-up window Image: Plant, flowers and fruit 55KB
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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Peppergrass Weed, Wild Peppergrass, Virginian Peppergrass

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Naunau (AK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.USA

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land, lowlands

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Medicine,

KEY FEATURES: A herb to about 15cm, with a basal rosette of leaves with others along the stalk and branches, and a long flower stalk. The basal rosette leaves are divided pinnately into small toothed leaflets with a large terminal toothed leaflet. The upper leaves are simple and toothed. The flowers are tiny, terminal and white. The solitary fruits are flat discs ±3mmØ on thin 4mm stalks.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Native Peppergrass (Lepidium bidentatum) is distinguished by its larger oval fruit (4x6.5mm) and its simple leaves with up to 2 teeth per side.

Enlarged Image of 'Lepidium virginicum'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present    Makatea: Present
RR 
MG
AT
MK
MT
AK
PL
TK
MN
+++
+++
-
++
++++
-
?++L

Northern Group:
TN 
MH
RK
PK
NS
SW
-
-
-
-
-

Key to Symbols

Scientific Taxonomy

Lepidium virginicum Linnaeus
TAXONOMY: PLANTAE; ANTHOPHYTA (=Angiospermae); MAGNOLIOPSIDA (=Dicotyledones); DILLENIIDAE; Capparales; BRASSICACEAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
p.409 Wagner et al.- Flowering Plants of Hawaii
p.370 Neal - In Gardens of Hawaii

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM04b, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org. Copy citation to system clipboard
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