Overview
Lepidium virginicum is an annual or biennial herb native to North America, growing 6-24 inches (15-60 cm) tall from a basal rosette into an erect, much-branched flowering stem. The rosette leaves are toothed to deeply lobed, while the stem leaves are narrower and stalkless. From late spring through summer the plant produces slender racemes of tiny white four-petaled flowers that elongate as they mature. Each flower gives way to a flat, round, notched seedpod about 0.1 inch (3 mm) across, packed along the lengthening stalk. The foliage and seeds have a peppery, cress-like flavor and are edible raw or cooked. L. virginicum is a fast-growing colonizer of disturbed ground, found in fields, roadsides, sidewalk cracks, and gardens. It completes its life cycle quickly and sets abundant seed, often behaving as a weed. Plants tolerate poor, dry, compacted soil and full sun. A single rosette can send up multiple branched stems and produce thousands of seeds in one season.
Native Range
Lepidium virginicum is native to North America and naturalized widely elsewhere. It is found across the United States, southern Canada, and Mexico, growing in fields, roadsides, waste ground, and other disturbed, sunny sites.Suggested Uses
L. virginicum is gathered as a wild edible, with peppery young leaves and seeds used as a seasoning. It appears in foraging and native-plant settings rather than in ornamental planting. The plant also colonizes bare, disturbed ground as an early successional species.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height6" - 2'
Width/Spread4" - 1'
Bloom Information
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Water & Climate
Water Needs
Drought Tolerance
Drought tolerant when established
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
L. virginicum grows in full sun and tolerates poor, dry, compacted, and disturbed soils. It needs little water once established and completes its life cycle in a single season as an annual, or over two seasons as a biennial. It withstands a wide range of climates and reseeds freely. The plant requires no feeding and often appears uninvited in cultivated ground. Removing the seed stalks before pods ripen limits its spread. Seedlings pull easily from loose soil.Pruning
L. virginicum is not pruned in the usual sense. Cutting or pulling plants before the seedpods ripen prevents reseeding. Spent stalks can be removed once seed has shed.✓ Toxicity
Non-toxicPlanting Guide
Planting Methods & Timing
Planting Method
direct sow
Direct Sow Timing
early spring
Days to Maturity
60–90 days
Plant Spacing
6 inches