For the aquatic fern also called 'pepperwort', see Marsilea minuta.
Lepidium is a genus of plants in the mustard/cabbage family, Brassicaceae. The genus is widely distributed in the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.[2] It includes familiar species such as garden cress, maca, and dittander. General common names include peppercress, peppergrass, pepperweed, and pepperwort. Some species form tumbleweeds.[3]
The genus name Lepidium is a Greek word meaning 'small scale', which is thought to be derived from a folk medicine usage of the plant to treat leprosy, which cause small scales on the skin. Another meaning is related to the small scale-like fruit.[4]
D.A. Norton; P.J. de Lange (1999). "Coastal Cresses (Nau) Recovery Plan"(PDF). Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
