Online Virtual Flora of Wisconsin - Capsella bursa-pastoris

Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik.

Family: Brassicaceae

shepherd's-purse

[Bursa bursa-pastoris (L.) Britton, more...]

Merel R. Black

Kenneth J. Sytsma

University of Wisconsin - Madison (WIS-VP)

Open Interactive Map

Etymology: Capsella: Latin for "a little box"
Plants: erect, annual, 4"-24" tall forb, with a few branches
Leaves: basal leaves oblong, pinnately-lobed; stem leaves smaller, mostly linear, appearing to clasp the stem with the 2 basal lobes
Flowers: white, 4-parted, 1/4" wide, petals longer than the sepals; inflorescence a dense cluster (raceme) of stalked flowers, elongating with age; blooms April-Aug.
Fruits: heart-shaped to triangular, flat pod fruit drawing

Habitat: disturbed sites such as lawns and roadsides
Conservation Status: Introduced - naturalized

A common weed of gardens, lawns, fields, waste areas, edges of buildings, landscaped areas, gravel paths and lots, roadsides and railroad tracks, campgrounds, old quarries; rarely in natural settings such as along forest borders, lakeshores, and dry prairies. One of our earliest blooming plants, sometimes flowering again in the fall, even as late as December. The narrowly triangular fruits are distinctive. Native to Europe and first collected in 1875. A common weed of gardens, lawns, fields, waste areas, edges of buildings, landscaped areas, gravel paths and lots, roadsides and railroad tracks, campgrounds, old quarries; rarely in natural settings such as along forest borders, lakeshores, and dry prairies. One of our earliest blooming plants, sometimes flowering again in the fall, even as late as December. The narrowly triangular fruits are distinctive. Native to Europe and first collected in 1875.