Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Malvids: Brassicales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Capsella bursa-pastoris
FAMILY
Brassicaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Shepherd's Purse from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Capsella bursa-pastoris
FAMILY
Brassicaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Capsella bursa-pastoris
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Capsella bursa-pastoris
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 088-06-001:
Capsella bursa-pastoris FAMILY Brassicaceae
INCLUDING Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Capsella bursa-pastoris
INCLUDING Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Capsella rubella
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Bursa bursa-pastoris
COMMON NAME:
Common Shepherd's Purse
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_bubu3_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_cabu2_005_lvd
)
USDA / Selected Weeds of the US. 1970 swus_page_199
)
JK Marlow jkm130128_183b
January Spartanburg County SC
Sepals green or reddish (margins membranous), per Flora of North America.
)
JK Marlow jkm140308_064
March Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140308_068
March Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Better known by its obcordate-triangular seed pods than its minute flowers, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm140308_075
March Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
Basal rosette of oblong, lobed leaves 2-4" long, per Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm140308_079
March Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
Keith Bradley kab_c_bursa_pastoris_2259
March Richland County SC
Randolph Cemetery
)
JK Marlow jkm0504i_37
April Greenville County SC
Fruits the shape of a shepherd's purse, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
)
JK Marlow jkm0504j_02
April Greenville County SC
A winter annual with one main stem and ascending branches, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
)
JK Marlow s050416_b
April Greenville County SC
Fruits are strongly flattened, triangular siliques, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte, Bugwood.org bug_1363068
Month Unknown
)
Bruce Ackley, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org bug_5438356
Month Unknown
)
Bruce Ackley, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org bug_5438360
Month Unknown
)
Bruce Ackley, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org bug_5438365
Month Unknown
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Capsella bursa-pastoris
FAMILY
Brassicaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Capsella bursa-pastoris
FAMILY
Brassicaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Capsella bursa-pastoris
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Capsella bursa-pastoris
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 088-06-001:
Capsella bursa-pastoris
FAMILY
Brassicaceae
INCLUDING
Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Capsella bursa-pastoris
INCLUDING
Britton & Brown Illus Flora of Northeast US & adjacent Canada (Gleason, 1952)
Capsella rubella
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Bursa bursa-pastoris
244
Forb
Winter annual
Habitat: Fields, roadsides, gardens, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Europe
Common
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
This plant may be causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal rosette & alternate (reduced upward)
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
White
Radially symmetrical
4 sepals
4 petals
6 stamens tetradynamous (2 short, 4 long)
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Silique
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p366
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p525
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p150
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p110
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p135
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p086
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p111
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p057
- Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992) p115
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".