General: Desert Peppergrass (Lepidium fremontii) is a low-growing shrub found on dry desert flats and limestone cliffs. The hairless leaves are long and narrow, sometimes lobed. The individual flowers are small (1/4-inch diameter) and white with yellowish centers and four petals, but they form dense clusters. The fruit is a heart-shaped seedpod (silique) that can persist atop the dry stems for a long time.

Desert Peppergrass is a fairly common component of desert vegetation communities in the Upper Sonoran (Mojave Desert Scrub) life zone.

Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae).

Other Names: Pepperwort.

Plant Form: Loose, upright shrub.

Height: Usually to about knee-high.

Stems: Many-branched.

Leaves: Leaves to about 2 inches long, narrow, pinnately lobed (usually 3 lobes). Hairless. Leaves grow all along the stem, but not at the base.

Flowers: Blooms during spring. Inflorescence: many branched forming spherical or elongated clusters. Flower white, 4 petals, yellowish center.

Fruit: Flat, oval (heart shaped), about 1/4 inch across.

Habitat: Desert flats to limestone cliffs, and sagebrush areas.

Elevation: To about 4,000 feet.

Distribution: California, Nevada, Arizona.

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