Lepidium Coronopus, Swine-Cress





Lepidium coronopus can be distinguished from the slightly less common lepidium didymum by its fruits, which are flattened and knobbly rather than smooth and globular, by having six stamens instead of two, and by having less finely divided leaves.

Common name:
Swine-cress
Scientific name:
Lepidium coronopus
Synonym:
Coronopus squamatus
Main flower color:
Range:
Most common in Wales and south/central England; also coastal regions further north, and in Ireland
Height:
A few cm - a prostrate species
Habitat:
Fields, disturbed ground; often coastal
Flowers:
Small, at most 3 mm in diameter, in short, elongated clusters at the leaf nodes. Flowers have six stamens, four non-overlapping white petals, and four cupped green stamens
Fruit:
Flattened, knobbly discs
Leaves:
Hairless, pinnately divided into oblanceolate lobes, lined with a few irregular teeth
Season:
June to September
Rarity:
★★★★★