Lepidium latifolium
L., Sp. Pl. 644. 1753; Hook. f. & T. Anderson in Fl. Brit.
India 1: 160. 1872.
Eng.: Perennial-pepper-grass, Broad-leaved-pepper-grass, Dittander; Ladakh: Gonyach.
Herbs or subsbrubs, perennial, up to 1 m tall; stems erect, much-branched, arising from a branched rootstock, glabrous or sparsely simple hairy. Leaves oblong-lanceolate or ovate, acute, more or less serrate, glabrous; basal leaves long-petioled, ovate, elliptic, spathulate to oblong-lanceolate, simple to pinnately lobed, serrate along margins, up to 30 x 6 cm; upper leaves subsessile to sessile, lanceolate, tapering at base, acute to apiculate at apex; uppermost leaves reduced, narrowly elliptical to linear, bract-like. Flowers white, up to 1.5 mm long, in short densely panicled bracteate corymbs; pedicels spreading, 3 - 5 mm long in fruit, glabrous or minutely hairy. Sepals suborbicular, 1 - 2.25 mm long, whitish at margins, finely hairy, caducous. Petals suborbicular, distinctly or obscurely clawed, white, rarely pink at base, 2 - 3 mm long. Fruits ellipsoid to ovoid, terminating in very short style, 2.5 - 2.75 x 1.75 mm, glabrous or finely pubescent; valves pilose, sometimes glabrous, not winged. Seeds elliptical, ca 1.25 x 0.75 mm; cotyledons incumbent.
Fl. & Fr. June - Aug.
Distrib. India: Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
Bhutan, C. & S.W. Asia, Europe, N. Africa and Australia.
Notes. Leaves are edible and used as salad or spice.
Herbs or subsbrubs, perennial, up to 1 m tall; stems erect, much-branched, arising from a branched rootstock, glabrous or sparsely simple hairy. Leaves oblong-lanceolate or ovate, acute, more or less serrate, glabrous; basal leaves long-petioled, ovate, elliptic, spathulate to oblong-lanceolate, simple to pinnately lobed, serrate along margins, up to 30 x 6 cm; upper leaves subsessile to sessile, lanceolate, tapering at base, acute to apiculate at apex; uppermost leaves reduced, narrowly elliptical to linear, bract-like. Flowers white, up to 1.5 mm long, in short densely panicled bracteate corymbs; pedicels spreading, 3 - 5 mm long in fruit, glabrous or minutely hairy. Sepals suborbicular, 1 - 2.25 mm long, whitish at margins, finely hairy, caducous. Petals suborbicular, distinctly or obscurely clawed, white, rarely pink at base, 2 - 3 mm long. Fruits ellipsoid to ovoid, terminating in very short style, 2.5 - 2.75 x 1.75 mm, glabrous or finely pubescent; valves pilose, sometimes glabrous, not winged. Seeds elliptical, ca 1.25 x 0.75 mm; cotyledons incumbent.
Fl. & Fr. June - Aug.
Distrib. India: Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
Bhutan, C. & S.W. Asia, Europe, N. Africa and Australia.
Notes. Leaves are edible and used as salad or spice.
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