Pronunciation: leh-PID-ee-um ver-JIN-ih-kum
Virginia Pepperweed’s white flowers and narrow, toothed leaves. Select a photo to enlarge.
Family Brassicaceae
Life cycle Annual or biennial
Native status Native to North America
Blooms Late spring through summer, sometimes into fall
Height Usually 8–24 inches
Habitat Roadsides, fields, paths, open ground and disturbed edges
Common names Virginia Pepperweed; Virginia Peppergrass; Poor Man’s Pepper
Observation maps show reported sightings, not a complete distribution.
Look for four noticeable white petals, usually longer than the green sepals beneath them, and small, flat, nearly circular seedpods with a shallow notch at the tip.
Leaves alternate along the stem. Lower leaves are often toothed or lobed; upper leaves become narrower and do not clasp the stem. Fine hairs may be present, so “hairless” is not a reliable identification rule.
Search sunny or lightly shaded roadsides, paths, field margins and other disturbed open places. Plants can grow in dry to moist soil and often branch above the middle.
Flowering can extend from late spring into early fall. Look at the tips of the racemes for fresh flowers while older, flattened fruits develop farther down.
Virginia Pepperweed is widespread in North America, including Wisconsin and Illinois. Local abundance and flowering dates vary.
The tiny flowers usually have four white petals and two stamens. As the stem elongates, the flowers give way to rounded fruits called silicles, about 2–4 mm across.
Each flattened pod has two halves and a small notch at its tip. Green fruits become pale or brown as they mature. Photograph fresh flowers along with the pods and leaf bases when comparing pepperweeds.
Common Pepperweed (Lepidium densiflorum) is the closest look-alike: its petals are usually absent or shorter than the sepals. Fruiting plants alone can be difficult to separate; check several fresh flowers.
Field Pepperweed (Lepidium campestre) has clasping, arrow-based stem leaves, conspicuously hairy stalks and more oval fruits. Field Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) has much larger, broadly winged pods with a deeper notch.
Lepidium virginicum: noticeable white petals and small rounded fruits. Upper leaves do not clasp the stem.
Lepidium campestre, shown for comparison: densely hairy flower stalks and stem leaves with pointed bases that clasp the stem.
This short-lived mustard reproduces by seed and takes advantage of openings in the vegetation. Its small flowers provide resources for small visiting insects, and flowering and fruit development often overlap on the same stem.
Virginicum means “of Virginia.” Virginia Peppergrass and Poor Man’s Pepper are other common names for this species. Despite “grass” in one of its names, it belongs to the mustard family.
Compare other mustards in the Wildflower Guide, then practice recognizing wildflowers in the quiz.
