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Lepidium virginicum
Also called Poor Man's Pepper, Virginia Peppergrass, Poorman's-Pepperwort, Peppergrass, Poorman pepperweed, Poorman's pepper, Virginian peppercress
Virginia pepperweed is a small weedy annual or biennial in the cabbage family, native to much of North America, that thrives in sunny, dry, disturbed ground. Its peppery leaves and seedpods are eaten, and it grows well with minimal care.
Lepidium virginicum, also known as least pepperwort or Virginia pepperweed, is an herbaceous plant in the mustard family (Brassicaceae). It is native to much of North America, including most of the United States and Mexico and southern regions of Canada, as well as most of Central America. It can be found elsewhere as an introduced species.
Virginia pepperweed grows as a weed in most crops and is found in roadsides, landscapes and waste areas. It prefers sunny locales with dry soil.
The plant is edible. The young leaves can be used as a potherb, sautéed or used raw, such as in salads. The young seedpods can be used as a substitute for black pepper. The leaves contain protein, vitamin A and vitamin C.
Field pepperweed · Common pepperweed · Maca · Mountain pepperweed · Shining pepperweed · Cook's scurvy grass · Clasping pepperweed · Featherleaf pepperweed · Garden cress · Pepperweed
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lepidium virginicum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
