Lepidium chalepense

Photo: Joseph DiTomaso

Synonyms: Cardaria chalepensis, Cardaria draba ssp. chalepensis, Cardaria draba ssp. repens, C. draba ver. repens, Lepidium draba var. repens, Lepidium repens

Common names: lens-podded hoary cress, lens-podded whitetop, hoary cress, peppergrass; whitetop, whiteweed, cranson rampant, chalapa whitetop

Lepidium chalepense (lens-podded whitetop) is a perennial (family Brassicaceae) that is relatively infrequent in California. Lepidium draba (hoary cress) and L. chalepense grow in the many habitats and areas of the state, except in the Mojave and Colorado deserts. However, L. draba occurs in wet and dry grasslands, scrubs, and arid areas with alkali soils and is much more common than lens-podded whitetop. Lepidium draba establishes monospecific mats that exclude most or all other herbaceous vegetation. L. chalepense forms dense infestations that crowd out forage plants in meadows and fields.

Cal-IPC Rating: Moderate — Alert?

CDFA Rating: -*?

Assessment(s)

Plant Assessment Form - Information gathered by Cal-IPC on the impacts, rate of spread, and distribution of invasive plants in California. Does not include management information.

Species ID Card

Invasive Species ID Card - To support field identification of early detection species, Cal-IPC has designed a set of Species ID cards that can be downloaded, printed double-sided, and trimmed to size.

Weed Management Notes

  • Management Notes - Information on management techniques and effectiveness from the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Weed Research & Information Center.

Cal-IPC Newsletter Articles

Cal-IPC Symposium Presentations

Presentations are linked where available. Where a presentation is not available, find more information by reading the abstract in the Cal-IPC Symposia Archive.

There are no Symposium presentations associated with this species yet.

Other Lepidium chalepense Information

  • CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.
  • Calflora - Distribution map and records of this species in California.
  • CalWeedMapper - Distribution map of this species in California with ability to determine regional priorities.
  • EDDMapS - Distribution of this species in North America.
  • Jepson Interchange - Information on this plant's taxonomy, biology, and distribution from UC Berkeley's Jepson Herbarium.
  • Additional photos

    Lepidium chalepense_seeds_JeanPawek
    Lepidium chalepense (lens-podded hoary cress) seeds. Photo: Jean Pawek
    Lepidium chalepense_inflorescence with flowers and fruits_JoeDiTomaso
    Lepidium chalepense (lens-podded hoary cress) inflorescence with flowers and fruits. Photo: Joe DiTomaso
    Lepidium chalepense_growth habit_JoeDiTomaso
    Lepidium chalepense (lens-podded hoary cress) growth habit. Photo: Joe DiTomaso