Flora of New Zealand Series

pepper grass

Annual. Stem erect, shortly hairy, sometimes glabrous below, branched above, 15-40-(100) cm tall. Basal lvs pinnatifid or pinnate with oblanceolate toothed lobes, densely hairy, 5-10 × 1-3 cm. Stem lvs simple; middle lvs oblanceolate, coarsely toothed; uppermost lvs linear, becoming entire, 15-60-(80) × 2-10-(20) mm, with sparse hairs on midrib and margins. Racemes 5-10 cm long; rachis minutely hairy; pedicel minutely hairy, spreading, 3-4-(5) mm long at fruiting. Sepals glabrous, 0.5-1 × c. 0.5 mm. Petals white, obovate-spathulate, > sepals. Stamens 2-4. Silicle circular, 2.5-3 × 2.8-3.2 mm; style free from the narrow wing, not protuding beyond the short apical notch; valves glabrous. Seeds brown, ovoid, winged, c. 1.5 mm long.

N.: Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wanganui, Manawatu.

N. America 1932

Waste land, railway ballast, roadsides