Peppergrass
Argentine Peppercress
Lepidium bonariense (?)
Herbaceous weed found in an Eldoret area garden. Kenya, Africa. January 2012. Close-up of disc-shaped seed pods on left and leaf structure on right.
HERB: Lower stems may become woody in older plants, but the remainder is
herbaceous.
FLOWERS: The flowers are very small and open very briefly. Open blooms
are at the very top of the spike. Four small, whitish petals and six stamens.
LEAVES: The leaves are twice pinnately divided into nearly linear
segments.
RANGE: This is a weed of moist, usually higher elevation gardens. It has
been unintentionally introduced to many places from its original home in South
America.
FRUIT: The fruits are small discs with the seam on the compressed faces
with two flattened compartments each with a couple of seeds.
UNARMED.