Perennial Pepperweed (Noxious Weeds of Colorado)

Perennial Pepperweed

Lepidium latifolium

Summary ⁶

Perennial pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium), also known as broadleaved pepperweed, pepperwort, peppergrass, dittander, dittany, or tall whitetop, is an extremely invasive perennial forb introduced from Europe and Asia in 1900 as a contaminant in sugar beet seed. It reproduces both by seed and vegetatively by roots and shoots. Root fragments as small as 0.5 inches can grow into new plants. Perennial pepperweed alters ecosystems by acting as a “salt pump” absorbing salts from deep in the soil then excreting the salt through the leaves and depositing it on surface soil. Most desirable plants do not tolerate high salinity soils, so the entire plant composition and diversity of the area changes.

Source:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ccxU5DnruV11xc0X6_iC4gGwyTrx4sIH/view
http://www.cwma.org/PerennialPepperweed.html

Identification ⁷

Height: 1-3 feet tall
Shape: Upright forb
Flowers: White flowers have 4 spoon-shaped petals and are packed in dense clusters near the ends of branches. Flowers May-Aug
Stems: Stems are erect with a waxy layer
Leaves: Leaves are alternate, lance-shaped, entire to toothed, glabrous (not hairy), bright-green to gray-green with distinctive white midrib, and don’t have clasping bases. The basal leaves are larger than the upper leaves
Fruit: Fruits are nearly round, about 0.1 inches wide and usually sparsely hairy
Toxic: May be toxic to livestock
Root: Deep-seated rootstocks can extend 10 feet into soil

Source:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ccxU5DnruV11xc0X6_iC4gGwyTrx4sIH/view
http://www.cwma.org/PerennialPepperweed.html

Origin/Habitat ⁷

Perennial pepperweed is native to Europe and Asia. It was brought to America in 1900 as a contaminant in sugar beet seed. It is commonly found in riparian areas, wetlands, marshes, irrigation ditches, canals, floodplains, and to a lesser extent in roadsides, hay fields, and rangelands. It prefers bare or disturbed ground in open, unshaded areas, often with saline soil. Large monocultures and dense saline litter layers prevent native plants from regenerating.

Source:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ccxU5DnruV11xc0X6_iC4gGwyTrx4sIH/view
http://www.cwma.org/PerennialPepperweed.html

Sources and Credits

(c) Jenn Forman Orth, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/49503155549@N01/105485839
(c) Justin, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2912/14153459104_236852f36d_o.jpg
(c) Don Loarie, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/loarie/9654353243/
(c) 2010 Zoya Akulova, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?seq_num=321133&one=T
(c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.biopix.com/photos/lepidium-latifolium-00015.jpg
Adapted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepidium_latifolium
(c) Colorado Parks and Wildlife, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

iNat Map

Color	white
Species status	List B
Growth form	Flowering Plants

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