Lepidium virginicum

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Lepidium virginicum, or Virginia pepperweed is an annual or biennial weed in the Brassicaceae or mustard family. As with Lepidium campestre, Virginia pepperweed's most identifiable characteristic are its racemes, which come from the plants highly branched stem [1]. The racemes give Virginia pepperweed the appearance of a bottlebrush [1]. On the racemes are first small white flowers, and later greenish seedpods. The entire plant is generally between 10 and 50 cm tall.

The leaves on the stems of Virginia pepperweed are sessile, linear to lanceolate and get larger as they approach the base [1]. Note that all parts of the plant have a peppery taste.

Cultivation and uses

Virginia pepperweed grows as a weed in most crops and is found in roadsides, landscapes and waste areas [1]. It prefers sunny locales with dry soil. Virginia pepperweed grows throughout the United States.

The young leaves can be boiled for ten minutes, or added directly to salads [2]. The young seedpods can be used as a substitute black pepper. The leaves contain protein, vitamin A and vitamin C [2].

References

1) Richard H. Uva, Joseph C. Neal and Joseph M. Ditomaso, Weeds of The Northeast, (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997), Pp. 178-179.
2) Lee Allen Peterson, Edible Wild Plants, (New York City: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977), p. 26.

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