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Wildlife, Animals, and Plants
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Introductory
SPECIES: Lepidium latifolium | Perennial Pepperweed
ABBREVIATION :
LEPLAT
SYNONYMS :
NO-ENTRY
SCS PLANT CODE :
LELA2
COMMON NAMES :
perennial pepperweed
exotic peppergrass
broadleaved pepperweed
TAXONOMY :
The currently accepted scientific name of perennial pepperweed is
Lepidium latifolium L. (Brassicaceae) [9,10,11,17,26]. There are no
recognized infrataxa.
LIFE FORM :
Forb
FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
No special status
OTHER STATUS :
NO-ENTRY
COMPILED BY AND DATE :
Lora L. Esser, November 1994
LAST REVISED BY AND DATE :
NO-ENTRY
AUTHORSHIP AND CITATION :
Esser, Lora L. 1994. Lepidium latifolium. In: Remainder of Citation
DISTRIBUTION AND OCCURRENCE
SPECIES: Lepidium latifolium | Perennial Pepperweed
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION :
Perennial pepperweed is an introduced forb of Eurasian origin that has
established in disjunct locations throughout the United States
[14,15,27]. It is found along the east coast from Massachusetts to Long
Island, New York. It is also found in the central Great Plains, the
Intermountain region, the Pacific Northwest, California, and Mexico
[8,9,12,14,15]. Perennial pepperweed may also occur in eastern and
western Canada [24].
ECOSYSTEMS :
FRES29 Sagebrush
FRES36 Mountain grasslands
FRES37 Mountain meadows
STATES :
CA CO CT ID KS MA MT NE NV NY
ND OR RI SD UT WA WY MEXICO
ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS :
GRTE
BLM PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS :
3 Southern Pacific Border
5 Columbia Plateau
6 Upper Basin and Range
8 Northern Rocky Mountains
9 Middle Rocky Mountains
10 Wyoming Basin
11 Southern Rocky Mountains
12 Colorado Plateau
13 Rocky Mountain Piedmont
14 Great Plains
16 Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands
KUCHLER PLANT ASSOCIATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
SAF COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
SRM (RANGELAND) COVER TYPES :
NO-ENTRY
HABITAT TYPES AND PLANT COMMUNITIES :
Perennial pepperweed occurs along beaches and tidal shores in California
and in riparian habitats of the Intermountain region [11,15,26].
Perennial pepperweed is found in basin big sagebrush (Artemisia
tridentata ssp. tridentata) communities of the Piceance Basin of
Colorado. Plant associates in these communities include twisted moss
(Tortula ruralis) and desert goosefoot (Chenopodium pratericola) [2].
Perennial pepperweed occurs in indigobush (Amorpha fruticosa var.
angustifolia) communities east of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington.
Plant associates in these communities include sagebrush (Artemisia
spp.), knapweed (Centaurea spp.), reed canarygrass (Phalaris
arundinaceae), and willow (Salix spp.) [7]. Perennial pepperweed was
found in a marshy floodplain at Diamond Pond, Oregon. Stands of
European and native weeds dominated the community. Stinging nettle
(Urtica dioica) and perennial pepperweed were predominant with some
Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), small-flowered willow-weed (Epilobium
minutum), short-rayed aster (Aster frondosus), and western goldenrod
(Solidago occidentalis) present [28].
VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Lepidium latifolium | Perennial Pepperweed
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE :
NO-ENTRY
PALATABILITY :
NO-ENTRY
NUTRITIONAL VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
COVER VALUE :
NO-ENTRY
VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES :
NO-ENTRY
OTHER USES AND VALUES :
Perennial pepperweed has been used by natives of the Canary Islands for
over 2,000 years. The roots, leaves, and seeds of perennial pepperweed
have yielded sulphurated essences. The seeds contain mirosin, and the
leaves contain several sterols and polyphenols. The leaves of perennial
pepperweed have been used in traditional medicines as a diuretic,
stomach tonic, and for preventing renal lithiasis [18].
MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Perennial pepperweed is classified as a noxious weed in California,
Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and the Pacific Northwest [16,23,27,29].
It is a serious weed in pastures of California and in meadows and
riparian habitats of the Intermountain region [12,15]. Control is
difficult because of its perennial root system and deep-seated rhizomes
[14,27]. In Australia, continuous topping and/or cultivation was
effective in controlling perennial pepperweed. Treatment must be done
frequently and the plant must not be allowed to produce seeds if control
is to be successful [12,14]. Periodic mowing and spring burning have
reduced perennial pepperweed density in Utah [14].
There seems to be no inherent dormancy system, such as a hard seedcoat,
present in the seeds of perennial pepperweed; therefore, buried seeds of
perennial pepperweed may not be a prolonged source of reinfestation once
a population is controlled. However, more research must be done to
determine the fate of deeply buried seeds that do not receive the
diurnal temperature fluctuations that seem to be necessary for
germination [15].
BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Lepidium latifolium | Perennial Pepperweed
GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS :
Perennial pepperweed is a perennial herb that forms dense colonies by
adventitious shoots from roots and deep-seated rhizomes [9,12,14,15,25].
It grows from 1.6 to 6.6 feet (0.5-2 m) tall [8,11,14,15]. Leaves are 4
to 12 inches (10-30 cm) long and 2 to 3.2 inches (5-8 cm) wide
[8,9,10,11,17]. The fruit is a silicle 0.08 to 0.1 inch (2-2.5 mm)
long, with two seeds [4,10,27]. Perennial pepperweed has an extensive
root system [10,12,15].
RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM :
Hemicryptophyte
Geophyte
REGENERATION PROCESSES :
Vegetative: Perennial pepperweed spreads vigorously by sprouting from
roots and rhizomes [14,15,17]. Plants reproduce mainly by rhizomes
[25], but can be aggressive colonizers of disturbed areas [14].
Sexual: Perennial pepperweed reproduces by seed. It produces abundant
highly germinable seeds [15]. Seeds are wingless; thus wind dispersal
is negligible [8,17]. Perennial pepperweed seeds have high rates of
germination, often with widely fluctuating diurnal temperature regimes.
Seeds were collected from a perennial pepperweed infestation growing in
a swampy meadow at Reno, Nevada, and from two locations along the Susan
River in California. A total of 55 constant- and
alternating-temperature regimes were used to test germination of
perennial pepperweed seeds. No significant (P=0.01) differences in the
overall mean germination of seeds were observed between the Reno samples
(1982 and 1983) and the Susan River samples (1983). Also, no
significant (P=0.01) differences in mean germination of perennial
pepperweed seeds tested 1, 6, and 12 months after harvest were observed;
thus, seeds can be stored for at least 1 year. The three alternating
temperature regimes that produced optimum germination for pooled
populations of perennial pepperweed seeds were 41/95, 50/104, and 59/104
degrees Fahrenheit (5/35, 10/40, and 15/40 deg C, respectively), with
germination rates of 92, 96, and 93 percent, respectively. These
temperature regimes probably occur naturally for seeds not deeply
buried. Seeds apparently have no inherent dormancy [15].
SITE CHARACTERISTICS :
Perennial pepperweed is common in fields, waste places, meadows, borrow
ditches, and along roadsides [9,10,14,26,27]. It also invades irrigated
pastures, cropland, and native meadows [15]. It is most often found in
open, unshaded areas on disturbed, and often saline soils [3,4,11,28].
It is locally common in riparian areas, marshy floodplains, valley
bottoms, and seasonally wet areas [2,15,26,28].
Perennial pepperweed is found from 5,500 to 8,000 feet (1,650-2,400 m)
in Colorado, 4,125 to 9,042 feet (1,250-2,740 m) in Oregon, 4,125 to
7,953 feet (1,250-2,410 m) in Utah, and at less than 6,270 feet (1900 m)
in California [10,11,26,28].
SUCCESSIONAL STATUS :
Facultative Seral Species
Perennial pepperweed is an aggressive colonizer of riparian habitats.
It establishes rapidly and can eliminate competing vegetation.
Infestations of riparian areas provide ready sources of seed for
invasion of adjacent meadows, irrigated pastures, croplands, and river
systems [14,25]. Perennial pepperweed is not aggressive in its native
habitat, possibly because of natural predation [14].
SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT :
Perennial pepperweed flowering dates for several states are as follows:
California June-Aug [17]
Colorado June-Aug [9]
Connecticut Aug [20]
Massachusetts Aug [20]
Nebraska June-Aug [9]
Oregon June-Aug [27]
FIRE ECOLOGY
SPECIES: Lepidium latifolium | Perennial Pepperweed
FIRE ECOLOGY OR ADAPTATIONS :
Perennial pepperweed probably survives fire by sprouting from rhizomes.
It may also colonize from soil-stored seed.
POSTFIRE REGENERATION STRATEGY :
Rhizomatous herb, rhizome in soil
Caudex, growing points in soil
FIRE EFFECTS
SPECIES: Lepidium latifolium | Perennial Pepperweed
IMMEDIATE FIRE EFFECT ON PLANT :
Perennial pepperweed is probably top-killed by fire.
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF FIRE EFFECT :
NO-ENTRY
PLANT RESPONSE TO FIRE :
In Utah, periodic mowing and spring burning have reduced perennial
pepperweed density [14].
DISCUSSION AND QUALIFICATION OF PLANT RESPONSE :
NO-ENTRY
FIRE MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
NO-ENTRY
REFERENCES
SPECIES: Lepidium latifolium | Perennial Pepperweed
REFERENCES :
1. Bernard, Stephen R.; Brown, Kenneth F. 1977. Distribution of mammals,
reptiles, and amphibians by BLM physiographic regions and A.W. Kuchler's
associations for the eleven western states. Tech. Note 301. Denver, CO:
U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. 169 p.
[434]
2. Cottrell, Thomas R.; Bonham, Charles D. 1992. Characteristics of sites
occupied by subspecies of Artemisia tridentata in the Piceance Basin,
Colorado. Great Basin Naturalist. 52(2): 174-178. [19688]
3. Dorn, Robert D. 1984. Vascular plants of Montana. Cheyenne, WY: Mountain
West Publishing. 276 p. [819]
4. Dorn, Robert D. 1988. Vascular plants of Wyoming. Cheyenne, WY: Mountain
West Publishing. 340 p. [6129]
5. Eyre, F. H., ed. 1980. Forest cover types of the United States and
Canada. Washington, DC: Society of American Foresters. 148 p. [905]
6. Garrison, George A.; Bjugstad, Ardell J.; Duncan, Don A.; [and others].
1977. Vegetation and environmental features of forest and range
ecosystems. Agric. Handb. 475. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service. 68 p. [998]
7. Glad, Judith B.; Halse, Richard R. 1993. Invasion of Amorpha fruticosa
L. (Leguminosae) along the Columbia and Snake Rivers in Oregon and
Washington. Madrono. 40(1): 62-63. [20822]
8. Gleason, Henry A.; Cronquist, Arthur. 1991. Manual of vascular plants of
northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. 2nd ed. New York: New
York Botanical Garden. 910 p. [20329]
9. Great Plains Flora Association. 1986. Flora of the Great Plains.
Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas. 1392 p. [1603]
10. Harrington, H. D. 1964. Manual of the plants of Colorado. 2d ed.
Chicago: The Swallow Press Inc. 666 p. [6851]
11. Hickman, James C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: Higher plants of
California. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. 1400 p.
[21992]
12. Kloot, P. M. 1973. Perennial peppercress...a warning. Journal of
Agriculture of South Australia. 76(3): 72-73. [23822]
13. Kuchler, A. W. 1964. Manual to accompany the map of potential vegetation
of the conterminous United States. Special Publication No. 36. New York:
American Geographical Society. 77 p. [1384]
14. Leininger, Wayne C. 1988. Non-chemical alternatives for managing
selected plant species in the western United States. XCM-118. Fort
Collins, CO: Colorado State University, Cooperative Extension. In
cooperation with: U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife
Service. 47 p. [13038]
15. Miller, Gerald K.; Young, James A.; Evans, Raymond A. 1986. Germination
of seeds of perennial pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium). Weed Science.
34: 252-255. [23823]
16. Mooney, H. A.; Hamberg, S. P.; Drake, J. A. 1986. The invasions of
plants and animals into California. In: Mooney, Harold A.; Drake, James
A., eds. Ecology of biological invasions of North America and Hawaii.
Ecological Studies 58. New York: Springer-Verlag: 250-272. [17519]
17. Munz, Philip A. 1973. A California flora and supplement. Berkeley, CA:
University of California Press. 1905 p. [6155]
18. Navarro, Eduardo; Alonso, Josefina; Rodriguez, Rosario; [and others].
1994. Diuretic action of an aqueous extract of Lepidium latifolium L.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 41: 65-69. [23821]
19. Raunkiaer, C. 1934. The life forms of plants and statistical plant
geography. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 632 p. [2843]
20. Seymour, Frank Conkling. 1982. The flora of New England. 2d ed.
Phytologia Memoirs 5. Plainfield, NJ: Harold N. Moldenke and Alma L.
Moldenke. 611 p. [7604]
21. Stickney, Peter F. 1989. Seral origin of species originating in northern
Rocky Mountain forests. Unpublished draft on file at: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station, Fire
Sciences Laboratory, Missoula, MT; RWU 4403 files. 7 p. [20090]
22. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 1994. Plants
of the U.S.--alphabetical listing. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. 954 p. [23104]
23. U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, Oregon State
Office. 1985. Final Northwest Area noxious weed control program
environmental impact statement. Portland, OR. 295 p. [12796]
24. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Biological Survey. [n.d.]. NP
Flora [Data base]. Davis, CA: U.S. Department of the Interior, National
Biological Survey. [23119]
25. Weber, William A. 1987. Colorado flora: western slope. Boulder, CO:
Colorado Associated University Press. 530 p. [7706]
26. Welsh, Stanley L.; Atwood, N. Duane; Goodrich, Sherel; Higgins, Larry
C., eds. 1987. A Utah flora. Great Basin Naturalist Memoir No. 9. Provo,
UT: Brigham Young University. 894 p. [2944]
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Utah. Res. Rep. 116-USU. Laramie, WY: University of Wyoming, College of
Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service. 281 p. [2939]
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vegetation history and water table in the eastern Oregon desert. Great
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of herbicides in vegetation management. Environmental Impact Statement:
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Index
Related categories for Species: Lepidium latifolium
| Perennial Pepperweed
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