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Shepherd's Purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)
Image ID: 2016/pct28
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Native
Family:
Brassicaceae (Mustard)
Height: 0.5 to 1.5 ft.
Blooms: April to
October
Leaf Type:
lobed
Bloom Size: 0.1 in. (typical)
Flower Description:
Individual flowers,
Regular blooms, 4 parts
Location: Pine Creek Rail Trail
Date: 5/28/2016
Notes:
Distinct heart-shaped seed pod
Shepherd's Purse may be
easily confused with:
- Peppergrass
Shepherd's purse has the distinctive seed pods, as well as a large, lobed leaf. The leaf on peppergrass is small and shallowly toothed.
- Roadside Pennycress
Look for the heart-shaped seed pods on shepherd's purse. Also, pennycress has a small, slightly toothed leaf, while shepherd's purse has a larger lobed leaf.
We started out as wildflowers from the bicycle trails of western Pennsylvania, but we've
grown!
Meyer, Joseph E. (1918). The Herbalist and Herb Doctor. Hammond, Ind.: Indiana Herb Gardens. 400 pp.
