''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family,

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The leav ...

. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.''Lepidium''.
Flora of North America. It includes familiar species such as

garden cress Cress (''Lepidium sativum''), sometimes referred to as garden cress (or curly cress) to distinguish it from similar plants also referred to as cress (from old Germanic ''cresso'' which means sharp, spicy), is a rather fast-growing, edible herb. ...

maca MACA or maca can mean: * Maca (plant) Places Geography * Maca District, Peru * Cerro Macá, stratovolcano in the Aisén Region of Chile * Maca River, Romania Outer space * 5228 Máca, a minor planet People * Alain Maca (born 1950), Belgian ...

, and dittander. General common names include peppercress, peppergrass, pepperweed, and pepperwort. Some species form

tumbleweed A tumbleweed is a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of a number of species of plants. It is a diaspore that, once mature and dry, detaches from its root or stem and rolls due to the force of the wind. In most such species, the tumbl ...

s. page 210 The genus name ''Lepidium'' is a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

word meaning 'small scale', which is thought to be derived from a folk medicine usage of the plant to treat

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

, which cause small scales on the skin. Another meaning is related to the small scale-like fruit.Sia Morhardt and Emil Morhardt

Diversity

There are about 175 to 220 species in the genus. 10 species are found in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Species include: * '' Lepidium africanum'' * ''

Lepidium amelum ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium armoracia ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium apetalum ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Tropicos.org. Missouri Botanical Garden. 20 Dec 2011
/ref> * '' Lepidium arbuscula'' * ''

Lepidium banksii ''Lepidium banksii'', known as coastal peppercress, is a rare species of flowering plant from the family Brassicaceae. It is endemic to New Zealand, formerly found around the coast of the northern South Island but now critically endangered. Dis ...

'' * '' Lepidium barnebyanum'' * ''

Lepidium biplicatum ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium bonariense ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium campestre ''Lepidium campestre'', the field pepperwort or field pepperweed or field cress, is usually a biennial with some form of annual plant in the Brassicaceae or mustard family, native to Europe, but commonly found in North America as an invasive w ...

'' – field pepperwort, field cress * ''

Lepidium catapycnon ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium coronopus ''Lepidium coronopus'', (swine cress, creeping wart cress, or greater swine cress), is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family which is native to parts of Africa, western Asia and Europe, growing in shingle banks, wasteland or cultiva ...

'' – swine cress * ''

Lepidium davisii ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia. * ''

Lepidium densiflorum ''Lepidium densiflorum'' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names common pepperweed and prairie peppergrass. It is a common and widespread plant in North America, where it grows in many habitats across Ca ...

'' – common pepperweed * ''

Lepidium desvauxii ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium dictyotum ''Lepidium dictyotum'' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names alkali pepperweed and alkali pepperwort. It is native to the far western United States. It grows in dry saline and alkaline soils, such as ...

'' * ''

Lepidium didymum ''Lepidium didymum'', the lesser swine-cress, is a species of flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. Description ''Lepidium didymum'' is an annual or biennial herb with decumbent or ascending and glabrous green stems, up to long, radiatin ...

'' * '' Lepidium draba'' – hoary cress * '' Lepidium drummondii'' * '' Lepidium echinatum'' * '' Lepidium ecuadoriense'' * '' Lepidium englerianum'' * '' Lepidium fasciculatum'' – bundled peppercress * ''

Lepidium flavum ''Lepidium flavum'' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common name yellow pepperweed. It is native to California, Nevada, and Baja California, where it grows in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts. The species epithe ...

'' * '' Lepidium flexicaule'' * '' Lepidium foliosum'' – leafy peppercress * '' Lepidium fremontii'' – desert pepperweed * '' Lepidium genistoides'' * '' Lepidium ginninderrense'' * '' Lepidium graminifolium'' * ''

Lepidium howei-insulae '' Lepidium howei-insulae '', commonly known as mustard & cress, is a flowering plant in the mustard and cabbage family. The specific epithet alludes to Lord Howe Island, where it is found. Description It is a perennial subshrub, sometimes wi ...

'' – mustard & cress * '' Lepidium hypenantion'' * '' Lepidium hyssopifolium'' * '' Lepidium heterophyllum'' – Smith's pepperwort, Smith's cress * '' Lepidium jaredii'' – Jared's pepperweed * '' Lepidium lasiocarpum'' * '' Lepidium latifolium'' – pepperweed, dittander * '' Lepidium latipes'' * ''

Lepidium lyratogynum ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium merrallii'' * ''

Lepidium meyenii ''Lepidium meyenii'', known as maca or Peruvian ginseng, is an edible herbaceous biennial plant of the family Brassicaceae that is native to South America in the high Andes mountains of Peru. It was found at the Meseta de Bombón plateau clos ...

'' (syn. ''L. peruvianum'') – maca * ''

Lepidium monoplocoides ''Lepidium monoplocoides'', the winged peppercress, is a nationally endangered plant species endemic to inland south-eastern Australia. The winged peppercress can grow from 15 up to 20 centimetres tall. This plant has long, slender leaves. Becau ...

'' – winged peppercress * '' Lepidium montanum'' – western pepperweed, mountain pepperweed * '' Lepidium nanum'' – dwarf pepperweed * '' Lepidium nesophilum'' * '' Lepidium nitidum'' – shining pepperweed * '' Lepidium oblongum'' * ''

Lepidium oleraceum ''Lepidium oleraceum'' is a herb in the family Brassicaceae, endemic to New Zealand. Its English common name is Cook's scurvy grass; Māori names include nau, ngau, naunau and heketara. Its specific epithet ''oleraceum'' means "vegetable/herba ...

'' – Cook's scurvy grass (near extinct) * '' Lepidium oxycarpum'' – forked pepperweed * '' Lepidium oxytrichum'' * '' Lepidium papilliferum'' – slickspot peppergrass * '' Lepidium papillosum'' – warty peppercress * '' Lepidium pedicellosum'' * '' Lepidium peregrinum'' * '' Lepidium perfoliatum'' * '' Lepidium peruvianum'' * '' Lepidium phlebopetalum'' * ''

Lepidium pholidogynum ''Lepidium'' is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.Lepidium pinnatifidum'' * '' Lepidium platypetalum'' – slender peppercress * '' Lepidium pseudohyssopifolium'' * '' Lepidium pseudoruderale'' * '' Lepidium pseudotasmanicum'' * '' Lepidium puberulum'' * '' Lepidium quitense'' * '' Lepidium rotundum'' – veined peppercress * '' Lepidium ruderale'' – narrow-leaved pepperwort * '' Lepidium sagittulatum'' * '' Lepidium sativum'' – garden cress * '' Lepidium scandens'' * '' Lepidium squamatum'' * '' Lepidium strictum'' * '' Lepidium thurberi'' – Thurber's peppergrass, Thurber's pepperweed * '' Lepidium virginicum'' – Virginia peppercress * '' Lepidium xylodes''

Notes

References

* *

External links

* *
Species Profile: Hairy Whitetop (''Lepidium appelianum'').
National Invasive Species Information Center,

United States National Agricultural Library The United States National Agricultural Library (NAL) is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries, and serves as a national library of the United States and as the library of the United States Department of Agriculture. Located ...

. Brassicaceae genera Tumbleweeds {{Brassicales-stub