SHEPHERD'S-PURSE
File Size: 70 KB
 
Capsella bursa-pastoris   (L. ) Medic.
Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas
Annual
Height: 4-20 inches
Family: Brassicaceae - Mustard Family
Flowering Period:   March, April, May, June
Stems: Erect, simple or sparingly branched.
Leaves: Alternate, clasping, pair of ear-like lobes at base; basal leaves in rosette, simple, oblong, 2 to 4 inches long, deeply lobed; stem leaves smaller, lanceolate to linear, margins entire to toothed.
Inflorescences: Raceme, crowded, elongates as plant matures.
Flowers: Small, white; sepals 4, short-oblong, 1/12 inch long; petals 4, white, egg-shaped, twice as long as sepals; stamens 6, short; stalks spread widely at maturity.
Fruits: Pod, heart-shaped, flat, triangular.
Habitat: Waste areas, lawns, gardens, barnyards, cultivated fields, and roadsides.
Distribution: Throughout Kansas, but more common in eastern 2/3.
Origin: Introduced from Europe and now naturalized over much of North America.
Forage Value: Birds will consume the seeds and poulty relish the early foliage.
Uses: The leaves have been used in salads and the seeds substituted for mustard. Several Native America tribes used this plant to treat dysentery.
Comments: This common weed is one of the first plants to flower in the spring. Up to 40,000 seeds can be produced by a single plant. The seeds remain viable for many years. The name comes from the resemblance of the fruit to purses carried by shepherds.

Shepherd's-purse
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Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas
Shepherd's-purse
93 KB
Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas