Lepidium densiflorum
 
Common Pepper-Grass

Flower Side B

Hudson Bay Regional Park
26-June-2018

This flower has four sepals, no petals, and two stamens.  Each stamen is opposite a sepal.  Note some flowers may have rudimentary petals.

bullet

Densiflorum: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this species. 
bullet

annual or biennial; NOT [perennial]

bullet

plant generally less than 5 dm tall; NOT [plant 5-12 dm tall]

bullet

basal leaves at most pinnatifid; NOT [basal leaves bipinnatifid]

bullet

upper leaves tapering at base; NOT [upper leaves sagittate or deeply cordate-clasping at the base]

bullet

plants with elongated  terminal racemes; NOT [plants with short axillary racemes as well as terminal ones]

bullet

petals none or rudimentary; NOT [petals linear, shorter than the sepals], NOT  [petals 2 mm long]

bullet

stamens 2

bullet

fruit 2.5-3.5 mm long; NOT [fruit 2.5-3.0 mm long]; NOT [silicle 5-7 mm long]

bullet

fruit round-cordate or round-obovate; NOT [fruit oval or elliptic-ovate] (BF)

bullet

fruit orbicular to obovate, widest above the middle; NOT [fruit elliptic to ovate, widest at or below the middle] (FOA)

bullet

fruit rounded at the apex; NOT [fruit gradually narrowed toward acute apical teeth, one tooth on each side of apex]

bullet

fruit notched at the apex

bullet

fruit not winged

bullet

fruit glabrous

 

bullet

Lepidium: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this genus. 
bullet

plants mostly terrestrial; NOT [plants aquatic, usually submerged]

bullet

plants of lowland habitats; NOT [plants of alpine habitats]

bullet

plants with leafy stems; NOT [plants with basal leaves only]

bullet

petals white (may be rudimentary or absent); NOT [petals yellow]

bullet

fruit shorter; NOT [fruit 8-18 mm long]

bullet

fruit not strongly inflated

bullet

fruit flattened at right angles to septum; NOT [fruit flattened parallel to septum, if at all]

bullet

fruit 2-3 times longer than broad or shorter; NOT [fruit much longer than broad]

bullet

fruit not triangular

bullet

fruit wingless or only narrowly winged towards the apex; NOT [fruit broadly winged all round]

bullet

pods notched at apex

bullet

one seed in each compartment of pod; NOT [more than one seed in each compartment of pod]

 

bullet

Cruciferae: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora  leading to this family. 
bullet

herbs; NOT [shrubs or trees]

bullet

plants terrestrial or semiaquatic; NOT [plants aquatic, leaves submerged or floating]

bullet

plants not with colored milky juice

bullet

plants with more than one normal leaf

bullet

some or all leaves alternate; NOT [leaves opposite, whorled, or basal]

bullet

leaves without stipules, or having glands; NOT [leaves with stipules]

bullet

flowers with two floral rings

bullet

calyx regular; NOT [calyx irregular, some sepals smaller than others]

bullet

sepals 4

bullet

corolla regular in shape; NOT [corolla irregular in shape]

bullet

each petal distinct from the others

bullet

petals 4; NOT [petals 5]

bullet

ovary superior; NOT [ovary inferior]

bullet

carpels 1 or 2; NOT [carpels 3-5]