Citation: L., Sp. Pl. 643 (1753).

Derivation: Greek lepis, a scale; referring to the appearance of the fruits.

Synonymy: Not Applicable

Common name: None

Description:
Annual, biennial or perennial herbs or shrubs, glabrous or with simple hairs.

Inflorescence ebracteate; sepals erect to spreading, equal; petals various to absent; stamens 6, 4 or 2; median nectariferous glands present.

Fruit a silicula, dehiscent, flattened at right angles to the septum, usually notched; valves keeled, usually winged; seeds 1 per 1ocule, pendulous, mucous, cotyledons simple or divided or folded; radicle incumbent, rarely accumbent.

Distribution:  150 species, cosmopolitan, 35 endemic and 8 established species in Australia. (A. Thellung (1906) Neue Denkschr. Schweiz. Naturf. Ges. 41, 1:1-340; H. J. Hewson (1982) Brunonia 4:217-308). Illustrations of Lepidium are used with permission of CSIRO. Peppercresses.

Biology: No text

Key to Species:

1. Stamens 6
2. Stem glabrous
3. Silicula hairy	L. latifolium 7.
3. Silicula glabrous
4. Plant herbaceous	L. sativum 21.
4. Plant shrubby
5. Leaves entire; plant eremaean	L. strongylophyllum 22.
5. Leaves dentate or further divided; plant coastal	L. foliosum 5.
2. Stem hairy
6. Leaves markedly dimorphic	L. perfoliatum 13.
6. Leaves similar or gradually changing
7. Silicula with the wing broad to the base; notch about one- third of the fruit length	L. rotundum 19.
7. Silicula winged in the upper half; notch less than one-third of the fruit length
8. Petals less than 5 mm long	L. phlebopetalum 14.
8. Petals more than 5 mm long	L. leptopetalum 8.
1. Stamens 2 or 4
9. Stamens usually 4
10. Leaves auriculate or sagittate at the base
11. Stem with papillae or vesicular hairs	L. papillosum 12.
11. Stem with acicular hairs	L. oxytrichum 11.
10. Leaves attenuate at the base
12. Silicula wings acute	L. pseudopapillosum 16.
9. Stamens usually 2
13. Inflorescence a corymb, not elongating	L. fasciculatum 4.
13. Inflorescence an elongating raceme
14. Leaf bases auriculate or sagittate
15. Pedicels hairy	L. pseudotasmanicum 18.
15. Pedicels glabrous
16. Stems glabrous (except leaf axils)	L. sagittulatum 20.
16. Stems hairy
17. Stems puberulent	L. hyssopifolium 6.
17. Stems with reflexed hairs	L. desvauxii 3.
14. Leaf bases attenuate
18. Pedicels glabrous	L. pseudohyssopifolium 15.
18. Pedicels hairy
19. Plant pubescent with long obtuse-tipped hairs	L. muelleri-ferdinandi 10.
19. Plant glabrous or puberulent
20. Upper leaves serrate and partly dissected; plant puberulent	L. bonariense 2.
20. Upper leaves entire or dentate but not dissected, if pinnately lobed then plant almost glabrous
21. Pedicel shorter than or equal to the silicula, arcuate	L. africanum 1.
21. Pedicel longer than the silicula, straight
22. Silicula 2-2.25 mm long	L. pseudoruderale 17.
22. Silicula 2.5-3 mm long	L. pseudotasmanicum 18.

Author: Not yet available