Crop Protection Online > Pests - Weed biology<br> <sub>Agro-region: Denmark</sub> - Capsella bursa-pastoris

Crop Protection Online

12.5 2024

Weed biology
_{Agro-region: Denmark}

Capsella bursa-pastoris

Can be mistaken for

Arabidopsis thaliana, which has smaller dicotyledon leaves.

Papaver rhoeas L., which has no star-shaped hairs.

Characteristics

Cotyledons
Oval with entire leaf margins. Stalked. Smooth surface. Length approx. 3-4 mm.

True leaves:
The first true leaves are oval to egg-shaped with entire leaf margins. Stalked. The surface is covered with star-shaped hairs (best seen through a magnifying glass). Length approx. 3-4 mm. The leaf margins of later true leaves are deeply incised.

Mature plant
Shepherd’s purse is a medium-sized plant (approx. 10-30 cm) with its basal leaves in a rosette. It is known by its long inflorescence with the characteristically inverted heart-shaped fruits. The diameter of the flower is approx. 2-3 mm. Seed production: Up to approx. 40,000 seeds per plant.

Seed
Almost oval in outline. A slender, oval furrow along the seed can be seen on both sides. Slightly rough surface. Thousand grain weight approx. 0.1 g.

Biology

Propagation and dispersal
Only through seeds.

Habit
Summer and winter annual.

Importance

The species is frequently found in both autumn-and spring-sown crops throughout Denmark. A dense population of shepherd’s purse can cause considerable yield losses in cereal crops and winter Oil-seed Rape, especially on light soils.

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Taxonomy

Cruciferae.

Names in different languages

Danish :	Hyrdetaske
German :	Hirtentäschel
English :	Shepherd's Purse
Latin :	Capsella bursa-pastoris
Norwegian :	Gjetartaske
Swedish :	Lomme

Seedling

Early stage

Flower

Mature plant

Seeds

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Weed biology Agro-region: Denmark