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Lepidium howei-insulae

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Lepidium howei-insulae
Herbarium specimen
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Brassicales
Family: Brassicaceae
Genus: Lepidium
Species:
L. howei-insulae
Binomial name
Lepidium howei-insulae
Thell. (1906)[1]

Lepidium howei-insulae , commonly known as mustard & cress, is a flowering plant in the mustard and cabbage family. The specific epithet alludes to Lord Howe Island, where it is found.[1]

Description

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It is a perennial subshrub, sometimes with creeping stems, growing to about 1 m in height. The acute to subapiculate, fleshy, glabrous leaves are usually 2–6 cm long, 2–4 mm wide. The small white flowers have petals 1.5 mm long. The ellipsoidal seeds are 1.5 mm long.[1]

Distribution and habitat

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The plant is endemic to Australia’s subtropical Lord Howe Island group in the Tasman Sea. As well as having a scattered distribution on the main island, where it occupies rocky ledges and sandy pockets near the sea, it has been recorded from the nearby stack of Balls Pyramid.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d " Lepidium howei-insulae ". Flora of Australia Online: Data derived from Flora of Australia Volume 49 (1994). Australian Biological Resources Study (ABRS). Retrieved 2014-02-03.