SHEPHERD'S-PURSE
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| File Size: 70 KB |
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Capsella bursa-pastoris (L. ) Medic.
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| Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas |
| Annual |
| Height: 4-20 inches |
| Family: Brassicaceae - Mustard Family |
| Flowering Period: March, April, May, June |
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| 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. |
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| Shepherd's-purse |  | | 63 KB | | Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas |
| | Shepherd's-purse |  | | 93 KB | | Konza Prairie, Riley County, Kansas |
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